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EXPLORATIONS  AND  ADVENTURES 

EQUATORIAL  AFRICA ; 


ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OP  THE  PEOPLE  AND  OP  THE  CHASE 
OF  THE  GORILLA,  THE  CROCODHE,  LEOPARD,  ELEPHANT, 
HIPPOPOTAMUS,  AND  OTHER  ANIMALS. 


BY  * 

PAUL  B.  VDTJ  CHAILLTT, 

COB.  MEMBER  OF  THE  AMERICAN  ETHNOLOGICAL  SOCIETY  ;   OP  THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  AND 
STATISTICAL  SOCIETY  OP  NEW  YORK  ;   AND  OF  THE  BOSTON  SOCIETY 
OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


tOilfj  Kttmerons  Illustrations. 


NEW  YORK: 
HARPER   &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 

1862. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 

and  sixty-one,  by 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE 


The  singular  region  of  Equatorial  Africa,  which  it  was  my  for- 
tune to  be  the  first  to  explore,  and  of  whose  people  and  strange 
animal  and  vegetable  productions  I  have  given  some  account  in 
the  following  pages,  is  remarkable  chiefly  for  its  fauna,  which 
is,  in  many  respects,  not  only  extraordinary,  but  peculiar.  In 
this  comparatively  narrow  belt  is  found  that  monstrous  and  fe- 
rocious ape,  the  gorilla.  Here,  too,  and  here  only,  is  the  home 
of  the  very  remarkable  nest-building  ape,  the  Troglodytes  calvus, 
the  nshiego  rabouve  of  the  natives ;  of  the  hitherto  unknown  koo- 
loo-Jcarnba,  another  ape  no  less  remarkable  than  the  T.  calvus,  and 
of  the  chimpanzee.  North,  south,  and  east  of  this  region,  the  lion 
lords  it  in  the  forests  and  the  desert :  only  in  this  tract  he  is  not 
found.  Here,  too,  I  discovered  no  less  than  twenty  new  species  of 
quadrupeds,  and  upward  of  sixty  new  species  of  birds,  many  as 
strange  as  others  were  beautiful. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  this  region  formed  a  peculiarly  rich 
field  for  an  ardent  naturalist.  Game  is  not  found  in  such  plenty 
as  on  the  vast  plains  of  Southern  Africa ;  there  is  less  butcher- 
ing ;  but,  if  the  larder  is  not  so  well  supplied,  the  half-starved  ex- 
plorer experiences  many  happy  days,  when  the  discovery  of  a 
hitherto  unknown  animal  rewards  him  for  all  his  toils,  dangers, 
and  sufferings. 

Not  only  has  the  fauna  of  this  region,  for  its  limits,  a  very  un- 
usual number  of  species  peculiar  to  itself,  but  even  some  of  those 
animals  which  it  has  in  common  with  the  regions  to  the  north 
and  south  seemed  to  me  varieties.    Thus  I  am  almost  certain 


vi 


PREFACE. 


that  the  elephant  of  this  region  is  a  variety  distinct  in  several 
particulars  from  his  South  African  brother. 

Doubtless  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  country  causes  this  ex- 
ceptional condition.  Instead  of  the  vast  thinly-wooded  and  arid 
or  sparsely-watered  plains  of  Northern,  Eastern,  and  Southern 
Africa,  the  explorer  finds  here  a  region  very  mountainous,  and  so 
densely  wooded  that  the  whole  country  may  be  described  as  an 
impenetrable  j  ungle,  through  which  man  pushes  on  only  by  hew- 
ing his  way  with  the  axe.  These  forests,  which  have  been  rest- 
ing probably  for  ages  in  their  gloomy  solitude,  seem  unfavorable 
even  to  the  rapid  increase  of  the  beasts  who  are  its  only  denizens. 
There  are  no  real  herds  of  game ;  nor  have  the  people  of  this  re- 
gion yet  attained  that  primitive  step  in  the  upward  march  of 
civilization,  the  possession  of  beasts  of  burden.  Neither  horses 
nor  cattle  are  known  here :  man  is  the  only  beast  of  burden. 

The  river  system  of  this  region  seems  to  me  extremely  well 
adapted  for  the  prosecution  of  commercial  enterprise.  Until  I 
explored  them,  the  rivers  known  to  Europeans  and  Americans  as 
the  Nazareth,  Mexias,  and  Fernand  Vaz,  were  supposed  to  be 
three  distinct  streams ;  but  the  reader  will  perceive,  by  reference 
to  my  map,  that  they  are  connected  with  each  other.  The  Mex- 
ias and  Nazareth  are  only  outlets  of  the  Ogobay  Eiver,  which 
also  throws  a  portion  of  its  waters  into  the  Fernand  Vaz,  chiefly 
through  the  Npoulounay.  Thus  these  three  rivers  are,  in  fact, 
mouths  of  the  Ogobay ;  and  they  form,  with  the  intervening  low- 
lands (which  are  evidently  alluvial  deposits),  an  extensive  and 
very  complicated  net- work  of  creeks,  swamps,  and  dense  forestr, 
which  I  propose  to  call  the  delta  of  the  Ogobay.  This  delta  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Nazareth,  which  enters  the  sea  in 
lat.  0°  41'  S.  and  long.  9°  3'  E.,  and  on  the  south  by  the  Fernand 
Vaz,  which  falls  into  the  sea  in  lat.  1°  17'  S.,  and  long.  5°  58'  E. 
The  mouth  of  the  Mexias  lies  between,  in  lat.  0°  56'  S.,  and  long. 
8°  47'  E. 

I  have  not  given  in  the  narrative  any  account  of  my  explora- 
tion of  this  labyrinth,  because  it  was  extremely  barren  of  incidents 


PREFACE* 


vii 


interesting  to  the  reader.  It  was  a  most  tedious  undertaking,  and 
resulted  only  in  the  knowledge  that  this  large  tract  is  entirely  un- 
inhabited ;  that  in  the  rainy  season,  when  the  rivers  and  their  di- 
vergent creeks  are  swollen,  the  whole  country  is  overflowed ;  and 
that  the  land  is  covered  with  immense  forests  of  palm,  there  being 
found  none  of  the  customary  mangrove  swamps.  Land  and  wa- 
ter are  tenanted  only  by  wild  beasts,  venomous  reptiles,  and  in- 
tolerable swarms  of  musquitoes. 

The  entrance  of  the  Fernand  Vaz,  which  is  one  of  the  keys  to 
this  region,  is  rendered  intricate  by  shifting  sand-bars  and  a  very 
crooked  channel,  which,  however,  carries  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  of  water  at  all  times.  It,  as  well  as  the  Mexias,  throws  a  tre- 
mendous quantity  of  fresh  water  into  the  ocean  during  the  rainy 
season.  So  vast  is  this  supply,  and  so  rapid  the  current,  that, 
though  the  mouths  of  these  streams  are  but  half  a  mile  wide,  the 
body  of  fresh  water  launched  from  each,  during  the  rains,  forces  its 
separate  way  through  the  ocean  for  at  least  four  or  five  miles  be- 
fore it  becomes  absorbed ;  and  I  have  seen  days  when  the  tide  had 
no  effect  at  all  upon  the  vast  column  of  water  pushing  seaward. 

Above  Monwe  for  about  thirty  miles,  the  Fernand  Vaz„which 
here  takes  the  name  of  Rembo,  flows  through  a  country  so  flat 
that  in  the  rainy  season  its  banks  are  overflowed  for  many  miles, 
and  in  parts  scarce  a  foot  of  dry  land  is  in  sight.  Farther  up, 
the  country  becomes  hilly,  and  the  upper  parts  of  the  Eembo  and 
Ovenga  rivers  flow  between  steep  banks,  and  through  a  decidedly 
mountainous  region.  But  even  here  the  magnificent  mountains 
are  divided  by  plains  or  broad  valleys,  which  are  overflowed  dur- 
ing the  season  of  rains.  On  the  return  of  the  dry  season,  these 
overflows  leave  great  quantities  of  decayed  or  decaying  matter, 
which,  though  enriching  the  ground,  also  cause  fevers.  But  the 
interior  fevers  are  not  so  frequent  nor  so  dangerous  as  those 
caused  by  the  mixed  salt  and  fresh  water  vegetation  of  the  sea- 
shore ;  and  when  this  region  becomes  settled,  the  mountains  will 
afford  a  convenient  sanitarium  for  white  men. 

Leaving  the  Fernand  Vaz,  which,  though  partly  fed  by  the  Ogo- 


yiii  PREFACE. 

bay,  is  an  independent  stream,  having  its  source  in  the  Ashankolo 
Mountains,  we  come  to  the  Ogobay,  probably  the  largest  river  of 
western  equatorial  Africa.  The  Ogobay  is  formed  by  the  junction 
of  two  considerable  streams  of  the  interior — the  Eembo  Ngouyai 
and  the  Eembo  Okanda.  The  first  I  partly  explored;  of  the 
Rembo  Okanda  I  know  only  by  report  of  the  natives,  who  state 
that  it  is  much  larger  than  the  Ngouyai,  and  that  its  navigation 
is  in  some  places  partly  obstructed  by  vast  rocky  boulders,  which, 
scattered  about  the  hill-sides  and  on  the  higher  plains  of  the  in- 
terior, form  a  very  remarkable  and  peculiar  feature  of  the  land- 
scape. The  banks  of  the  Ogobay,  so  far  as  I  have  explored  them, 
are  in  many  parts  subject  to  annual  overflow. 

The  Eembo  Ngou}rai  is  a  large  stream,  flowing  through  a  mount- 
ainous and  splendidly  wooded  country,  which  is  the  most  magnifi- 
cent I  saw  in  Africa.  It  has  numerous  smaller  feeders.  Its  navi- 
gation is  unfortunately  interrupted  by  the  great  Eugenie  or  Samba 
Nagoshi  fall ;  but  it  is  quite  possible  for  steamers  to  reach  this 
fall  from  the  sea;  and  the  upper  portion,  above  the  fall,  is  navi- 
gable for  the  largest  class  of  river  steamers  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year,  and  flows  through  a  region  the  tropical  magnificence 
of  which  is  quite  unrivaled,  and  which  abounds  in  many  precious 
woods,  while  it  is  also  well  calculated  for  a  rich  agricultural 
country.  I  could  not  help  longing  heartily  for  the  day  t<5  come 
when  this  glorious  stream  will  be  alive  with  the  splash  of  pad- 
dle-wheels, and  its  banks  lined  with  trading  and  missionary  posts. 
Ebony,  bar-wood,  and  India-rubber,  palm-oil,  beeswax,  and  ivory, 
are  the  natural  products  of  this  region,  so  far  as  my  limited  op- 
portunities allowed  me  to  ascertain.  But  any  tropical  crop  will 
grow  in  this  virgin  soil ;  and  it  needs  only  the  cunning  hand  and 
brain  of  the  white  man  to  make  this  whole  tract  become  a  great 
producing  country. 

My  little  knowledge  of  geology,  and  the  impossibility  of  carry- 
ing heavy  specimens,  prevented  me  from  making  useful  observa- 
tions on  the  geological  structure  of  this  region ;  and  I  can  only 
say  that  micaceous  schist,  talcose  shale,  and  quartz,  are  found 


PREFACE.  ix 

abundantly  in  the  mountains,  together  with  conglomerates  and 
various  sandstones,  while  a  red  sandstone  seems  most  to  abound 
in  the  Ashira  country.  Iron  is  plentiful ;  the  ore,  which  is  rich, 
is  found  cropping  out  of  the  ground  in  many  parts.  Copper  I 
did  not  meet  with,  though  it  is  brought  by  the  Loando  negroes 
from  the  southern  interior  to  the  sea-shore,  where  it  is  purchased 
by  Europeans. 

The  mountain  range  which  I  explored  on  my  last  journey,  and 
which  is  laid  down  on  the  map  as  far  as  my  extreme  point,  or 
terminus,  seems  to  me,  beyond  doubt,  to  be  part  of  a  great  chain 
extending  nearly  across  the  continent  without  ever  leaving  the  line 
of  the  equator  more  than  two  degrees.  Not  only  were  the  appear- 
ances such,  as  far  as  I  was  able  to  penetrate,  but  all  accounts  of  the 
natives  and  of  their  slaves  tend  to  make  this  certain.  Some  of 
the  slaves  of  the  Apingi  are  brought  from  a  distance  to  the  east- 
ward which  they  counted  as  twenty  days'  journey ;  and  they  in- 
variably protested  that  the  mountains  in  sight  from  their  present 
home  continue  in  an  uninterrupted  chain  far  beyond  their  own 
country — in  fact,  as  far  as  they  knew. 

Judging,  therefore,  from  my  own  examination,  and  from  the 
most  careful  inquiries  among  people  of  the  far  interior,  I  think 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  an  important  mountain  range  di- 
vides the  continent  of  Africa  nearly  along  the  line  of  the  equator,  start- 
ing on  the  ivest  from  the  range  which  runs  along  the  coast  north  and 
south,  and  ending  in  the  east, probably,  in  the  southern  mountains  of 
Abyssinia,  or  perhaps  terminating  abruptly  to  the  north  of  Captain 
Burton's  Lake  Tanganyika. 

In  the  northern  slope  of  this  great  range  originate  probably 
many  of  the  feeders  of  the  Niger,  the  Nile,  and  Lake  Tchad ; 
while  of  the  streams  rising  in  the  southern  slope,  it  is  probable 
that  some  join  their  waters  to  the  Eembo  Okanda,  the  Rembo 
Ngouyai,  and  the  Congo,  and  others  flow  south  into  the  Zam- 
besi, and  into  the  great  lake  or  chain  of  lakes  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Africa. 

To  this  mountain  range,  so  far  as  I  have  followed  it  and  ascer 


X 


PEEFACE. 


tained  its  existence,  I  propose  that  the  native  name,  Nkoomoo- 
nabouali,  be  given,  from  the  splendid  peak  which  I  discover- 
ed, and  which  forms  the  western  point  of  the  range.  I  think  it 
probable  that  the  impenetrable  forests  of  this  mountain  range 
and  its  savage  inhabitants  together  put  a  stop  to  the  victorious 
southward  course  of  the  Mohammedan  conquest.  South  of  the 
equator,  at  any  rate,  these  have  never  penetrated. 

Of  the  eight  years  which  I  have  passed  in  Africa,  the  present 
volume  contains  the  record  of  only  the  last  four,  1856,  '7,  '8,  and 
'9,  which  alone  were  devoted  to  a  systematic  exploration  of  the 
interior.  As  a  traveler,  I  had  the  very  great  advantages  of  toler- 
ably thorough  acclimation,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  languages  and 
habits  of  the  sea-shore  tribes,  which  proved  of  infinite  service  to 
me  among  the  tribes  of  the  interior,  with  whom  I  was  in  every 
case  able  to  hold  converse,  if  not  by  word  of  mouth,  then  by  a  na- 
tive interpreter  with  whose  language  I  was  familiar. 

A  brief  summary  of  the  results  of  my  four  years'  travel  will 
perhaps  interest  the  reader.  I  traveled — always  on  foot,  and 
unaccompanied  by  other  white  men — about  8000  miles.  I  shot, 
stuffed,  and  brought  home  over  2000  birds,  of  which  more  than 
60  are  new  species,  and  I  killed  upward  of  1000  quadrupeds,  of 
which  200  were  stuffed  and  brought  home,  with  more  than  80 
skeletons.  '  Not  less  than  20  of  these  quadrupeds  are  species  hith- 
erto unknown  to  science.  I  suffered  fifty  attacks  of  the  African 
fever,  taking,  to  cure  myself,  over  fourteen  ounces  of  quinine. 
Of  famine,  long-continued  exposures  to  the  heavy  tropical  rains, 
and  attacks  of  ferocious  ants  and  venomous  flies,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  speak. 

My  two  most  severe  and  trying  tasks  were  the  transportation 
of  my  numerous  specimens  to  the  sea-shore,  and  the  keeping  of  a 
daily  journal,  both  of  which  involved  more  painful  care  than  I 
like  even  to  think  of. 

The  volume  now  respectfully  presented  to  the  public  has  been 
written  out  from  my  faithfully-kept  journals.  I  have  striven  only 
to  give  a  very  plain  account  of  a  region  which  is  yet  virgin  ground 


PREFACE. 


xi 


to  the  missionary  and  the  trader — those  twin  pioneers  of  civiliza- 
tion— and  which  affords  a  fertile  field  for  the  operations  of  both. 

Before  closing,  it  is  my  duty  as  well  as  pleasure  to  acknowledge 
gratefully  very  many  kindnesses  received  from  the  officers  and 
members  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  whose  cheer- 
fully-given aid  greatly  lightened  for  me  the  tedious  task  of  cata- 
loguing my  large  collection  of  specimens  of  Natural  History. 
Also  I  owe  especial  thanks  to  my  friend,  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman, 
the  eminent  Professor  of  Comparative  Anatomy  in  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, for  much  valuable  assistance;  to  Dr.  S.  Kneeland,  the 
able  recording  secretary  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  His- 
tory; to  the  Geographical  and  Ethnological  Societies  of  New 
York ;  to  my  publishers,  Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers,  who  have 
borne  with  kindly  patience  the  many  delays  and  troubles  caused 
by  my  inexperience  in  the  labors  of  authorship ;  and,  lastly,  to 
the  many  friends  whose  kind  memories  were  proof  against  my 
long  absence  in  Africa,  and  whose  welcome  on  my  return  lent 
additional  force  to  my  gratitude  to  that  God  who  watched  over 
and  preserved  me  in  my  wanderings. 

The  long  and  tedious  labor  of  preparing  this  book  for  the  press 
leaves  me  with  the  conviction  that  it  is  much  easier  to  hunt  go- 
rillas than  to  write  about  them — to  explore  new  countries  than  to 
describe  them.  In  the  year  which  has  passed  since  my  return  to 
the  United  States  I  have  often  wished  myself  back  in  my  African 
wilds.  I  can  only  hope  that  the  reader  will  not,  when  he  closes 
the  book,  think  this  labor  wasted ;  and  with  this  hope  I  bid  him 
a  friendly  farewell. 


P iN  SHIELD.  OF  E1.ETI1ANT  HIDE,  AND  SPEAES. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Purpose  of  my  Explorations. — Facilities. — Nature  of  the  Country  to  be  explored. — 
The  Gaboon. — The  Mpongwe  People. — Their  Jealousy  of  Travelers. — Trade  Pe- 
culiarities.— Missionaries. — Baraka. — Manner  in  which  the  Missionaries  teach. — 
A  day's  Work  on  the  Station  Page  25 

CHAPTER  n. 

The  Gaboon  People.  —  Mysterious  Disappearance  of  African  Tribes.  —  Mpongwe 
Villages. — Houses,  how  built. — A  Mpongwe  Interior. — Costume. — An  African 
Trader. — Monopolies. — The  commission  Business  among  the  Negroes. — "Trust." 
— Extensive  System  of  Credit. — Native  Jealousy. — A  Day  with  an  African  Trader. 
— Time  of  no  value. — Mpongwe  Coasting-trade. — Their  Vessels. — Products  of 
the  Gaboon. — The  Ivory-trade   31 

CHAPTER  HI. 

Some  Causes  of  the  Decrease  of  the  Mpongwe. — Restrictions  as  to  Intermarriage. — 
Last  Days  of  King  Glass. — Public  Opinion  on  the  Gaboon. — Mourning  for  a  King. 
— "  Making"  a  new  King. — Character  of  the  Mpongwe. — An  African  Gentleman. 
— Food. — Agriculture   41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Corisco  the  Beautiful. — The  Mbingas. — Missionary  Stations. — African  Wake. — Set 
out  for  the  Muni. — An  Explorer's  Outfit. — Plan  of  Operations.— Poor  Debtor  in 
Africa.— Lynch  Law. — My  Canoe. — The  Muni. — Mangrove  Swamps. — Lost. — 
King  Dayoko. — Salutations   48 

CHAPTER  V. 

Dayoko. — African  Royalty. — Foreign  Relations  and  Diplomacy  in  the  Interior. — 
The  Value  of  a  Wife. — Negotiations. — The  dry  Season. — The  Mbousha  Tribe. — 
A  Wizard. — A  fetich  Trial  and  a  Murder. — Progress. — Excitement  of  the  She- 
kianis  at  my  supposed  Wealth. — The  Ntambounay. — The  Sierra  del  Crystal. — 
Lost  again. — Approaches  of  interior  Village. — Agricultural  Operations. — Fam- 
ine  59 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Hold  of  a  Traveler  on  the  Natives.  —  Fruits.  —  The  Mbondemo.  —  Their  Towns. 
— Houses. — Morals  of  War. — Condition  of  Women. — Women  as  Bearers. — The 
Hills. — A  Caravan. — Mutiny. — Rapids  of  the  Ntambounay. — Summit  of  the  Sier- 
ra.— Contemplations  interrupted  by  a  Serpent. — The  first  Gorilla. — Appearance 
in  Motion. — Famine  in  the  Camp. — Native  Stories  of  the  Gorilla. — Superstitious 
Notions  about  the  Animal. — Lifelessness  of  the  Forest. — A  Beetrai   72 


XVi  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Famine. — Encounter  with  the  Fan. — A  desperate  Situation. — Fright  at  mr  Appear- 
ance.— A  Fan  Warrior. — His  Weapons. — Fetiches. — Women. — I  am  closely  ex- 
amined.— Gorilla-hunt. — Signs  of  the  Animal's  Presence. — Appearance  of  the 
Male. — Roar. — Conduct. — My  first  Gorilla. — Division  of  the  Spoils. — Supersti- 
tions.— Wandering  Bakalai. — Mournful  Songs. — Their  Fear  of  Night. — Cook- 
ing.— Fan  Town. — Cannibal  Signs. — Presented  to  his  cannibal  Majesty. — The 
King  is  scared  at  my  Appearance.  —  Description  of  his  Majesty.  —  Mbene's. 
Glory. — The  King  in  his  War-dress. — Arms  of  the  Fan. — A  grand  Dance. — The 
Music  Page  91 

CHAPTER  VIH. 

The  grand  Hunt. — Fan  Mode  of  capturing  Elephants. — A  pitched  Battle. — Man 
killed  by  an  Elephant. — Grace  before  Meat  among  the  Fan. — The  use  of  a  dead 
Hunter. — Habits  of  the  Elephant. — TIanou,  or  Elephant-trap. — Elephant  Meat. — 
Condition  of  Women. — Marriage  Ceremonies. — A  Fan  Wedding. — Musical  In- 
strument.— Corpse  brought  in  to  be  eaten. — Human  Flesh  prized. — Stories  of 
Fan  Cannibalism. — Encroachments  westward  of  the  Fans. — Their  Origin. — 
Color. — Tattooing. — Trade. — Iron-smelting. — Fan  Blacksmiths.  — Bellows  and 
other  Tools. — Pottery. — Agriculture. — Food. — Slavery. — The  Oshebo. — Beyond. 
— Superstitions. — Sorcery. — Charms. — Idols   112 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  return  Trip. — Climate  of  the  mountain  Region. — Native  Courage. — Mode  of 
Warfare. — Heavy  Rains. — On  the  Nova. — Visits  to  native  Chiefs. — Ezongo. — 
Attempt  at  Black-mail. — Alapay. — The  Mbicho. — Net-hunting.— Bad  Shooting  of 
the  Negroes. — Attacked  by  the  Bashikouay  Ants. — Toilet  of  the  Mbicho. — Super- 
stition about  the  Moon. — Ivory  of  this  District  peculiar. — Igouma. — Fan  of  the 
Country. — An  immense  Cavern. — Crossing  a  mangrove  Swamp   130 

CHAPTER  X. 

Up  the  Moondah. — Vexations  of  a  Traveler  in  Africa. — Mangrove  Swamps. — 
Mbicho  Men  run  off. — Bashikouay  again. — Missionary  Station. — The  Bar-wood 
Trade. — Manner  of  getting  Bar-wood. — The  India-rubber  Vine. — How  Rubber  is 
gathered. — Torturing  a  Woman. — Adventure  with  a  wild  Bull. — Lying  out  for 
Game. — Bullock  and  Leopard. — Birds   150 

CHAPTER  XL 

Creek  Navigation. — Nocturnal  Habits  of  the  Negroes. — A  royal  Farm. — Beach- 
travel. — Canoe-building. — Ogoula-Limbai. — A  great  Elephant-hunter. — In  the 
Surf. — Shark  River. — Prairies. — Sangatanga. — King  Bango. — An  Audience  of 
Royalty. — A  Ball. — Barracoons. — Unwelcome  Guest. — A  Slaver  in  the  Offing. — 
Decline  of  the  Slave-trade  on  this  Coast. — Idols   163 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Set  out  for  the  Interior. — Prairies. — Odd  Mistake. — Hippopotami. — Ngola. — Ne- 
gro Theology. — Hunts. — Torture  of  a  Woman. — Rum. — The  Shekiani. — Appear- 
ance, Manners,  and  Customs. — Polygamy. — Marriage. — Superstitions. — Bos  bra- 
chicheros. — Camp  in  the  Woods. — African  Humor. — Solid  Comfort. — Hunting  with 
a  Leopard. — Great  Jollification. — Superstition  about  the  Leopard. — Elephant- 


CONTENTS. 


XVII 


shooting. — Meeting  a  Boa. — Stalking  the  wild  Bull. — Return  to  Sangatanga. — I 
am  accused  of  Sorcery. — Idols. — Bango's  Treasures. — Burial-ground  of  the  Bar- 
racoons. — Disgusting  Sights. — Status  of  Slaves  in  Africa. — Oroungou  Cemetery. 
— An  African  Watering-place. — Fetich  Point  Page  184 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  "Camma  Country." — Coast. — Surf. — Trade. — The  Caroline. — A  mixed  Crew. 
— A  dusky  Bride. — A  Squall. — On  her  Beam-ends. — Native  Traders. — Ranpano. 
— Sangala  Troubles. — Nearly  a  Fight. — The  City  of  Washington. — Attempt  at  As- 
sassination.— The  Camma  People. — Aniambie. — River  Navigation. — Men  refuse 
to  advance. — King  Olenga-Yombi. — A  Dance. — Fetich-houses. — Spirit  Wor- 
ship.— A  mad  Bull. — Cheating  the  King. — Live  Gorilla  brought  in. — How  caught. 
— Ferocity  of  the  Animal. — Joe  escapes. — Is  recaptured. — Habits  and  Peculiari- 
ties of  Joe. — Hippopotamus-shooting. — Night-hunting. — Hippopotamus  Meat. — 
Habits  of  the  Animal. — Hide. — Use  of  the  Tusks. — They  capsize  Boats. — Peace- 
able if  not  attacked. — Voice. — Combative. — Adventures  with  Hippopotami...  221 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

To  the  Anengue. — Canoes. — River  Scenery. — Nature  of  the  Country. — The  La- 
goons.— Navigation. — India-rubber  Vines. — Mercantile  Products  and  Facilities. 
— Porcupine-hunts. — Quengueza,  the  great  King. — Change  of  Season. — Variety 
in  animal  Life. — Birds  of  Passage.— Fish. — Bee-eater. — Curious  Habits  of  this 
Bird. — Serpents. — The  Rivers  in  the  dry  Season. — The  Lagoons  in  the  dry  Sea- 
son.— Immense  Numbers  of  Crocodiles. — Damagondai. — Witchcraft. — A  Caudle 
Lecture. —  Shimbouvenegani. — An  Olako. —  Royal  Costume. —  Discover  a  new 
Ape. — The  Nshiego  Rfbouve,  or  nest-building  Ape  (Troglodytes  Calvus). — How 
they  build. — Habits. — Food. — Description  of  the  first  Specimen. — A  Crocodile- 
hunt. — Anengue  Canoes. — The  Ogata. — Turtle. — How  the  Crocodile  gets  his 
Prey. — A  Fight  looms  up  ahead. — Oshoria  backs  down. — People  of  the  Anen- 
gue.— Family  Idols. — Worship. — Sickness. — Bola  Ivoga. — African  Festivals. — A 
clear  Case  of  Witchcraft. — A  native  Doctor. — Exorcising  a  Witch. — My  Town 
is  deserted. — I  am  made  a  Chief. — We  get  a  second  young  Gorilla. — I  am  poi- 
soned with  Arsenic. — Trial  of  the  Poisoner. — Singular  Effect  of  Arsenic   254 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Message  and  Hostage  from  Quengueza. — Outfit. — Makondai. — Fame  of  Mr.  Colt. — 
Goumbi. — Reception. — Family  Arrangements  in  Africa. — Intermarriage. — Driv- 
ing out  a  Witch. — Riches  among  the  Camma. — African  Shams. — A  Sunday  Lec- 
ture.— Gorilla  shot. — The  poison  Ordeal. — Mboundou. — Effects  of  the  Poison. — 
Native  Gorilla  Stories. — Charms. — Young  female  Gorilla  caught. — Superstitious 
Belief. — Trouble  in  the  Royal  Family. — A  holy  Place. — Obindji's  Town. — A  royal 
Introduction. — Houses. — Decency  in  Obindji's  Town. — Surprise  of  the  Negroes 
at  my  Appearance. — Ordeal  of  the  Ring  boiled  in  Oil. — Bashikouay. — Kooloo- 
kamba.  —  Another  new  Ape.  —  Gouamba,  or  Hunger  for  Meat.  —  Grace  before 
Meat. — A  Day's  Work  in  Africa. — Checks. — I  am  counted  a  Magician   290 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Venomous  Flies. — Gorilla. — Cutting  Ebony. — The  Ebony-tree. — Anguilai's  Town. 
—  Superstitions.  —  Severe  Sickness.  —  Kindness  of  the  native  Women  to  me. 
— Child  murdered  for  Sorcery. — New  Cure  for  Sterility. — Ivory-eaters. — Manioc, 

B 


xviii 


CONTENTS. 


— Capture  a  young  Nshier/o  Mbouve. — Its  Grief  for  its  Mother. — Biography  of 
Nshiego  Tommy. — Easily  tamed.  —  His  Tricks. — Habits. — Love  for  Wine  and 
Scotch  Ale. — His  Death. — Curious  Color. — Famine. — Njavi  Oil. — Gorilla. — Ev- 
idence of  their  vast  Strength. — Guaniony. — Return  to  Obindji's. — Letters  and 
Papers  from  home. — Astonishment  of  the  Negroes  at  my  Reading. — The  Ofoubou 
River. — Starvation. — Njalie-Coody. — The  Njambai  Festival. — Woman's  Rights 
among  the  Bakalai. — A  midnight  Festival. — A  Mystery. — An  Attempt  at  Black- 
mail.— Nature  of  the  Njambai,  or  Guardian  Spirit. — Hunter  killed  by  Gorilla. — 
Native  Superstitions. — The  Dry  Season. — Gouamba. — The  Eloway  Fly. — Huge 
Serpents. — Enormous  Gorilla  killed. — Curious  Superstition  about  the  Gorilla  and 
a  pregnant  Woman. — Animals  peculiar  to  this  Region. — Generosity  of  the  Blacks. 


— The  Superstition  of  Roondah. — Return  Page  321 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

The  Ants  of  Equatorial  Africa. — The  Bashikouay. — The  red  Ant. — The  Nchellc- 
lay.— The  little  Ant.— The  red  Leaf-ant.— The  nest-building  Ant   350 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Seasons  and  the  Fevers  of  Equatorial  Africa   36C 

CHAPTER  XLY. 


Politics:  the  Government,  Superstitions,  and  Slave  System  of  Equatorial  Africa  37T 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Summary  Account  and  Comparison  of  the  great  Apes  of  Africa :  the  Troglodyte? 
Gorilla,  the  T.  Kooloo - Kamba,  the  Chimpanzee  (T.  tiger),  and  the  Nshiego 


Mbouve,  or  T.  calvus   388 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

On  the  Bony  Structure  of  the  Gorilla  and  other  African  Apes   411 

CHAPTER  XSJI. 


The  Bakalai. — Extent  of  Region  in  which  they  are  met. — Qualities. — Reasons  for 
Intermixture  of  Tribes. — The  Bakalai  are  Rovers. — Fear  of  Death. — Old  People 
abandoned. — Treachery. — Case  of  Retaliation. — Women-palavers. — Arbitration. 
— A  fetich  Palaver. — Appearance  of  the  Bakalai. — Property. — Duties  of  a  Wife. 
— Restrictions  on  Marriage. — Slaves. — Costume. — Grass-cloth. — Hunters. — Fish- 
ing.— Great  Traders. — Diseases. — Leprosy. — Music   430 

CHAPTER  XXHI. 

Departure  for  the  Interior. — Meeting  of  the  People. — Address  of  Ranpano. — I  am 
made  a  Makaga. — Use  of  Quinine. — A  sick  Friend. — Death  in  Goumbi. — Sor- 
cery, and  how  it  is  discovered. — Great  Excitement. — Terrible  Tragedy. — The 
Victims.  — The  Accusations.  —  The  Poison-cup.  — The  Execution.  — Visit  from 
Adouma. — Sincerity  of  the  Doctors? — Up  the  River. — Manga-hunts. — A  Manga 
Doctor. — Keeping  a  Creditor. — Querlaouen. — An  African  Tragedy. — Fight  on 
the  River. — Toward  Ashira-land. — The  Ashira  Plains. — Splendid  View   439 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

We  enter  Ashira-land. — Astonishment  of  the  People  at  my  Appearance. — Their 
Fear  of  my  Eyes. — Grand  Reception. — Message  and  Presents  from  the  Ashira 


CONTENTS. 


XIX 


King. — Kendo. — King  Olenda. — His  Address  to  me. — I  am  an  Object  of  great 
Wonder. — My  Clock  a  Fetich. — Features  of  the  Plain. — Villages. — Houses. — 
Agriculture. — Appearance  of  the  Ashira. — Dress. — Grass-cloth. — Loom. — Curi- 
ous Custom  of  young  Women. — Operation  of  Dyeing. — Manner  of  Hair-dressing. 
— Peculiarities. — Fears  of  the  Slaves. — Condition  of  Women. — Marriage. — Splen- 
did Water-fall. — Mount  Nchondo. — A  Superstition  about  it. — A  Case  of  Insanity. 
— Ascent  of  Mount  Andele. — Meet  a  Nshiego  Mbouve. — How  it  rests  at  Night. — 
Attempt  to  ascend  the  Nkoomoo-nabouali. — Gorilla  killed. — Difficulties  of  the 
Ascent. — Starvation  Page  456 


The  Ashira  grow  jealous  of  my  Projects. — Set  out  for  the  Apingi  Country. — Olenda 
blesses  us. — The  Passage  of  the  Ovigui. — Rude  Bridge. — Features  of  the  Coun- 
try.— We  meet  Gorillas. — The  Roar  of  the  Gorilla. — His  Walk. — Great  Strength. 
— Meet  the  Apingi  King. — I  fall  into  an  Elephant-hole. — Famine. — Musquitoes. 
— We  see  the  Rembo  Apingi  River. — Reception  among  the  Apingi. — Address  of 
the  King. — I  am  offered  a  Slave  for  my  Supper. — Wonder  of  the  People  at  my 
Appearance. — The  mystMMus  Sapadi,  a  cloven-footed  Race. — My  Clock  is  thought 
a  guardian  Spirit. — I  aiflpkcd  to  make  a  Mountain  of  Beads  and  Trade-goods. 
— Fruitfulness  of  the  Women. — Appearance  of  the  People. — A  Leopard-trap. — 
Invested  with  the  Kendo. — Palm-oil.  —  Palm-wine. —  Drunkenness  universal. — 
Tattooing. — Dress  of  the  Women. — Lack  of  Modesty. — I  am  claimed  as  a  Hus- 
band. —  Weaving  of  Grass-cloth.  — Property  among  the  Apingi.  — The  Apingi 
Loom. — The  Ndengui. — Fetich  to  kill  Leopards. — War  Belt   478 


Bible-reading. — The  Negroes  are  frightened  and  run  away. — The  Ceremony  of 
Bongo. — Its  Importance. — Curious  Phase  of  African  Slavery. — Preparations  to 
ascend  the  River. — Apingi  Villages. — Fetiches. — Superstitions. — Spiders. — Curi- 
ous Manner  of  catching  their  Prey. — New  Animals. — Capsized. — Putrid  Corpso 
in  a  Village. — Curious  Manner  of  Burial. — Leave  the  River. — The  Region  be- 
yond.— Return  to  Remandgi's  Town. — Explore  the  Mountains. — The  Isogo. — Be- 
yond the  Isogo. — Ultima  Thule. — My  Shoes  give  out. — Starvation. — Great  Suffer- 
ing.— Shoot  a  Gorilla. — Illness. — Home-sick. — The  Return  to  the  Sea-shore. — 
Etita:  a  very  singular  Disease. — The  Remedy. — Heavy  Rains. — An  uncomforta- 
ble Night. — Fierce  Attack  of  Bashikouay  Ants. — Difference  of  Seasons. — Arrival 
in  Biagano. — Close   500 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


APPENDIX. 


A.  The  Fauna  of  Equatorial  Africa  

B.  The  Languages  of  Equatorial  Africa 


523 
526 


» 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  The  Gorilla  Frontispiece. 

2.  Fan  Shield  and  Spears  Page  xiii 

3.  Ndiayai,  King  of  the  Cannibal  tribe,  the  Fans   24 

4.  Mpongwe  Woman,  showing  the  Manner  of  dressing  Hair   30 

5.  Head-waters  of  the  Ntambounay   81 

6.  Mbondemo  Man,  and  Woman  carrying  her  Child   89 

7.  Fan  Warrior   92 

8.  Grand  Reception  by  the  Cannibals   95 

9.  My  first  Gorilla  '.   100 

10.  Fan  Bowman   107 

11.  Poisoned  Arrows  of  the  Fan   108 

12.  Fan  Knife  and  Battle-axes   109 

13.  Fan  Drummer  and  Handja-player   Ill 

J  4.  Elephant  Battue  among  the  Fan   113 

J  5.  The  Handja,  Fan  musical  Instrument   119 

16.  Fan  Blacksmiths   123 

'7.  Fan  Pottery  ,   124 

18.  Fan  Pipes   124 

19.  Fan  Spoon   129 

20.  Crossing  a  Mangrove  Swamp   14.7 

21.  To  keep  the  Devil  out   149 

22.  The  Leopard  and  his  Prey   160 

23.  Shekiani  Spoons   196 

24.  Wambee,  the  Shekiani  Banjo   198 

25.  Ncheri,  a  diminutive  Deer   202 

26.  Niare,  the  wild  Bull  of  Equatorial  Africa   210 

27.  Camma  Man  and  Woman   231 

28.  Tossed  by  a  wild  Bull   239 

29.  Young  Gorilla   242 

30.  Eiver  Navigation  in  Central  Africa   255 

31.  Nshiego  Mbouve  in  its  Nest   269 

32.  Young  Nshiego  Mbouve..   272 

33.  Crocodile-hunting  on  Lake  Anengue   275 

34.  Idol  of  the  Slaves   280 

35.  Ouganga  exorcising  a  Sorcerer   284 

36.  Eeception  at  Goumbi   293 

37.  MboundouLeaf   302 

38.  Obindji  in  his  Easy-chair   311 

39.  The  Koolo-kamba   315 


xxii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

40.  Ebony  Leaves,  male  and  female  Page  324 

41.  The  Mboco,  or  Ivory-eater   328 

42.  Harp  of  the  Bakalai   33!» 

43.  Hunter  killed  by  a  Gorilla   343 

44.  The  Bongo  Antelope   353 

45.  The  Bashikouay  Ant   350 

46.  Whip  for  the  Women   382 

47.  Head  of  Gorilla   402 

48.  Nshiego  Mbouve  and  Young   406 

49.  Head  of  Kooloo-kamba   40S 

50.  Ear  of  Kooloo-kamba   409 

51.  Skeletons  of  Man  and  the  Gorilla   41S- 

52.  Front  View  of  young  Gorilla's  Skull   419 

53.  Front  View  of  Gorilla's  Skull,  male  and  female   420 

54.  Skull  of  Red-rump  Gorilla   421 

55.  Skull  of  young  T.  Calvus  (front  and  side  views)   421 

56.  Negro  Skull   422 

57.  Caucasian  Skull   422 

58.  Skull  of  female  Gorilla  (side  view)   422 

59.  Skull  of  male  Gorilla  (side  view)   422 

60.  Skull  of  T.  Kooloo-kamba   425 

61.  Human  Skull   425 

62.  Decapitation  Scene  at  Goumbi   445 

63.  The  Kendo   458 

64.  Ashira  Tobacco   461 

65.  Ashira  Thread  and  Needle   462 

66.  Ashira  Weapons   463 

67.  Ashira  Belles   464 

68.  Liamba  Leaf   467 

69.  White-fronted  wild  Hog   471 

70.  Ashira  Housekeeper   470 

71.  An  Apingi  Village   479 

72.  Bridge  over  the  Ovigui   482 

73.  Death  of  the  Gorilla   486 

74.  Apingi  Man  and  Woman   494 

75.  The  Kendo  Squirrel   504 

76.  The  Anomalurus  Beldeni   506 

77.  Apingi  Tools   515 

78.  l~beka,  Bakalai  musical  Instrument   51S 

79.  Rattle,  to  drive  the  Devil  out   521 

80.  Map  of  Equatorial  Africa,  showing  the  line  of  M.  Du  Chaillu's  Explora- 

tions  ■*  the  end. 


NCLAYA1,  KINO  OF  THE  CASSLUL8. 


EXPLORATION  AND  ADVENTURE 

IN 

EQUATORIAL  AFEICA. 


CHAPTER  L 

Purpose  of  my  Explorations. — Facilities. — Nature  of  the  Country  to  be  explored. — 
The  Gaboon. — The  Mpongwe  People. — Their  Jealousy  of  Travelers.  — Trade  Pe- 
culiarities.— Missionaries. — Baraka. — Manner  in  which  the  Missionaries  teach. — 
A  day's  Work  on  the  Station. 

I  left  America  for  the  western  coast  of  Africa  in  the  month 
of  October,  1855.  My  purpose  was  to  spend  some  years  in  the 
exploration  of  a  region  of  territory  lying  between  lat.  2°  north 
and  2°  south,  and  stretching  back  from  the  coast  to  the  mountain 
range  called  the  Sierra  del  Crystal,  and  beyond  as  far  as  I  should 
be  able  to  penetrate. 

The  coast-line  of  this  region  is  dotted  here  and  there  with  ne- 
gro villages,  and  at  a  few  points  "  factories"  have  been  establish- 
ed for  the  prosecution  of  general  trade.  The  power  and  knowl- 
edge of  the  white  man  extend  to  but  a  very  few  miles  from 
the  coast,  and  the  interior  was  still  a  terra  incognita.  Of  its  tribes, 
several  of  whom  were  reported  cannibals,  nothing  was  known, 
though  terrible  stories  were  told  of  their  dark  superstitions  and 
untamable  ferocity  ;  of  its  productions  only  a  rough  guess  could 
be  made  from  the  scant  supplies  of  ivory,  ebony,  bar-wood,  and 
caoutchouc  which  were  transmitted  to  the  coast  by  the  people 
inhabiting  the  river  banks.  Of  the  natural  history,  that  which 
interested  me  most,  sufficient  was  known  to  assure  me  that  here 
was  a  field  worthy  of  every  effort  of  an  explorer  and  naturalist. 

This  unexplored  region  was  the  home  of  the  fierce,  untamable 
gorilla,  that  remarkable  ape  which  approaches  nearest,  in  physical 
conformation  and  in  certain  habits,  to  man,  and  whose  uncon- 


26 


THE  GABOON. 


querable  ferocity  has  made  it  the  terror  of  the  bravest  native 
hunters — an  animal,  too,  of  which  hitherto  naturalists  and  the 
civilized  world  knew  so  little  that  the  name  even  was  not  found 
in  most  natural  histories.  Here,  too,  in  these  dense  woods,  were 
to  be  found — if  the  natives  told  aright — the  nest-building  nshiego. 
an  ape  next  in  the  scale  to  the  gorilla ;  several  varieties  of  other 
apes ;  hippopotami  and  manatees,  or  sea-cows,  in  the  rivers ;  and 
birds  and  beasts  of  many  and  various  kinds,  many  entirely  un- 
known to  us,  in  the  forests  and  among  the  hills. 

To  ascend  the  various  rivers,  hunt  in  the  woods,  and  acquaint 
myself  alike  with  the  haunts  and  habits  of  the  gorilla,  and  with 
the  superstitions,  customs,  and  modes  of  life  of  the  black  tribes, 
who  had  not  hitherto  been  visited  by  white  men:  this  was  one 
object  of  my  present  visit  to  the  African  coast.  Another  purpose 
I  had  in  view  was  to  ascertain  if  in  the  interior,  among  the 
mountainous  ranges  in  which  the  rivers  took  their  rise,  there  was 
not  to  be  found  a  region  of  country  fertile  and  populous,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  healthy,  where  the  missionaries,  who  now  suffer 
and  die  on  the  low  coast,  could  work  in  safety  and  to  advantage, 
and  where  might  be  established  profitable  trading-stations,  which 
would  benefit  alike  whites  and  natives. 

Several  years'  residence  on  the  coast,  where  my  father  had  for- 
merly a  factory,  had  given  me  a  knowledge  of  the  languages,  hab- 
its, and  peculiarities  of  the  coast  natives,  which  I  hoped  to  find 
serviceable  in  my  interior  explorations,  and  had  also  sufficed  to 
inure  my  constitution  in  some  degree  to  the  severities  of  an  Afri- 
can hot  season,  or  at  least  to  familiarize  me  with  the  best  means 
for  preserving  health  and  life  against  the  deadly  fevers  of  the  coast. 

The  Gaboon  River,  which  takes  its  rise  among  the  Sierra  del 
Crystal  mountains,  empties  its  sluggish  waters  into  the  Atlantic  a 
few  miles  north  of  the  equator.  Its  mouth  forms  a  bay,  which  is 
the  finest  harbor  on  the  west  coast ;  and  here  on  the  right  bank 
the  French  formed  a  settlement  and  built  a  fort  in  the  year  1842. 
It  was  under  the  protection  of  this  fort  that  my  father  for  several 
years  carried  on  a  trade  with  the  natives,  and  here  I  gained  my 
first  knowledge  of  Africa  and  my  first  acquaintance  with  the  Ga- 
boon tribes. 

When  I  returned  now,  after  an  absence  of  some  years,  my  ar- 
rival was  hailed  with  joy  by  my  former  acquaintances  among  the 
blacks,  who  thought  that  I  had  come  back  to  trade.    The  ne- 


THE  MPONG WE .  — TRADE. 


21 


oroes  of  the  west  coast  are  the  most  eager  and  the  shrewdest 
traders  I  have  ever  met ;  and  they  were  overjoyed  at  the  pros- 
pect of  dealing  with,  and  perhaps  cheating,  an  old  friend  like 
myself.  Their  disappointment  was  great,  therefore,  when  I  was 
obliged  to  inform  them  that  I  had  come  with  no  goods  to  sell, 
but  with  the  purpose  to  explore  the  country  back,  of  which  1 
had  heard  so  many  wonderful  stories  from  them,  and  to  hunt 
wild  birds  and  beasts. 

At  first  they  believed  I  was  joking.  When  they  saw  landed 
from  the  vessel  which  brought  me  no  "  trade,"  but  only  an  outfit 
of  all  things  necessary  for  a  hunter's  life  in  the  African  wilds, 
they  began  perforce  to  believe  in  my  stated  purpose.  Then  their 
amazement  and  perplexity  knew  no  bounds. 

Some  thought  I  was  out  of  my  senses,  and  pitied  my  father, 
whom  they  all  knew,  for  being  troubled  with  such  a  good-for- 
nothing  son. 

Some  thought  I  had  ulterior  objects,  and  were  alarmed  lest  I 
should  secretly  try  to  wrest  the  trade  of  the  interior  out  of  then- 
hands. 

These  Mpongwes,  or  coast  tribes,  hold  in  their  hands,  as  will 
be  explained  farther  on,  the  trade  with  the  back  country  of  the 
Gaboon  Eiver ;  and  the  slightest  suspicion  that  I  was  about  to 
interfere  with  this  profitable  monopoly  sufficed  to  create  great 
terror  in  their  trade-loving  souls.  They  surrounded  me,  each 
with  his  tale  of  the  horrors  and  dangers  of  a  voyage  "up  the 
country,"  asserting  that  I  would  be  eaten  up  by  cannibals,  drowned 
in  rivers,  devoured  by  tigers  and  crocodiles,  crushed  by  elephants, 
upset  by  hippopotami,  or  waylaid  and  torn  to  pieces  by  the  gorilla. 

But  when  I  convinced  them  that  I  had  no  designs  upon  their 
trade,  and  that  my  purposed  travels  and  hunts  would  not  affect, 
their  interests,  all  but  a  few  steadfast  old  friends  left  me  to  my  fate. 

As  I  intended  to  remain  a  little  time  on  the  Gaboon  to  more 
perfectly  acclimate  myself,  I  took  up  my  residence  among  my 
friends  of  many  years,  the  American  missionaries,  whose  station 
is  at  Baraka,  eight  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Here  1 
found  a  welcome  in  the  hospitable  home  of  my  friend,  the  Bev. 
William  Walker,  and  was  able  to  enjoy  for  a  little  while  longer 
the  comforts  of  civilized  life  and  the  consolation  of  a  Christian 
social  circle,  which  were  soon  to  be  left  behind  me  for  a  long  time. 

Baraka  is  the  head  station  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 


28 


BARAKA. — MISSIONS. 


Missions  on  the  Gaboon  River,  and,  indeed,  the  only  mission  the 
board  has  as  yet  on  the  western  coast.  It  was  established  in 
1842  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Wilson. 

Baraka  is  a  Mpongwe  word,  derived  from  baracoon,  a  slave  fac- 
tory or  inclosure.  Strangely  enough,  the  very  site  whence  now 
the  Gospel  is  taught  to  these  benighted  Africans,  and  where  their 
children  are  instructed  in  the  knowledge  and  duties  of  Christian- 
ity and  civilized  life — this  very  place  was  once,  and  not  many 
years  ago,  the  site  of  a  slave  factory,  where  the  cruel  slave-trade 
was  carried  on  with  much  energy  and  success. 

Baraka  is  situated  at  the  summit  of  a  beautiful  hill,  distant  a 
few  hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  and  about  eight  miles  above 
the  river's  mouth.  The  native  villages  surround  the  base  of  the 
hill,  and  are  scattered  along  the  river  bank,  and  are  thus  easily  ac- 
cessible to  the  missionaries,  who  visit  them  at  all  times,  and  preach 
to  the  natives  several  times  a  week. 

The  missionary  grounds  are  spacious,  and  are  surrounded  with 
a  noble  hedge  of  fragrant  lime-trees.  The  buildings,  which  are 
mostly  of  bamboo,  which  is  the  best  building  material  on  this  part 
of  the  coast,  consist  of  two  dwellings  occupied  by  the  missionary 
families ;  the  church  building,  which  has  some  fine  shade-trees  in 
front ;  the  storehouse,  the  schoolhouse,  a  little  building  containing 
the  missionary  library,  houses  where  the  children  attached  to  the 
mission  are  lodged  ;  and,  finally,  the  kitchen — kitchens  being  in 
the  tropics  necessarily  separate  from  the  dwellings — and  the  other 
necessary  offices,  among  which  figure  fowl-houses,  etc.  Back  of  the 
bouses  is  a  fine  orchard,  containing  various  fruit-trees,  all  planted 
by  the  missionaries,  as  were  also  the  fine  cocoanut,  mango,  and 
other  trees  which  are  scattered  about  the  premises,  and  beneath 
whose  grateful  shade  the  houses  are  built. 

The  missionary  establishment  begins  its  day  with  prayers,  con- 
ducted, for  the  benefit  of  the  children,  in  the  Mpongwe  language. 

After  prayers  the  girls  and  boys  clear  up  their  dormitories  and 
the  school-rooms,  and  arrange  every  thing  for  the  day's  labors. 
This  is  carried  on  under  the  superintendence  of  the  missionary 
ladies. 

Next  comes  breakfast,  when  the  children  are  arranged  about 
the  tables  in  their  neat  dresses,  and  taught  to  eat  after  the  manner 
of  civilized  people. 

A  little  before  nine  o'clock  the  ringing  of  a  bell  calls  the  chil- 


* 


A  DAY  AT  THE  MISSIONS.  29 

dren  who  live  at  home  ia  the  villages  to  assemble  in  the  school- 
room, and  here,  presently,  the  work  of  instruction  goes  busily  on, 
being  begun  with  prayers  and  the  singing  of  a  hymn  in  the  native 
tongue.  The  missionaries  and  their  wives  are  here  assisted  by 
native  teachers,  who  are  able  to  take  charge  of  the  less  advanced 
classes.  The  children  are  taught  in  their  native  tongue  first,  and 
after  mastering  their  A  B  C  go  on  to  reading  the  Scriptures  in  the 
Mpongwe.  Then  follow  lessons  in  geography,  arithmetic,  history, 
and  writing,  and  English  lessons.  Many  of  the  scholars  are  bright 
and  well  advanced,  reading  English  well,  and  having  a  good  un- 
derstanding of  history  and  geography,  and  even  writing  in  En- 
glish. There  is,  of  course,  much  attention  given  to  religious  in- 
struction ;  and,  by  reading,  explanations,  and  inculcation  of  Bible 
precepts,  efforts  are  made  to  settle  the  rising  generation  firmly  in 
the  great  life-principles  of  the  religion  of  Christ. 

It  is  only  the  children  on  whom  it  may  be  hoped  the  labors 
of  the  missionaries  can  have  very  important  effects.  The  older 
natives  are  dull,  lazy,  and  distrustful.  They  adhere  to  their  vile 
superstitions,  and  are  with  difficulty  influenced.  If  they  come  to 
church,  it  is  too  often  out  of  curiosity,  or  to  please  the  preacher,  or 
from  some  fancied  advantage  to  themselves.  The  children,  on 
the  contrary,  as  all  children,  are  bright,  docile,  easily  trained ;  and 
in  these  the  hope  of  Christianizing  Africa  rests. 

On  two  or  three  afternoons  in  the  week  the  girls  are  collected 
in  a  sewing-circle,  where  the  ladies  of  the  mission  instruct  them 
in  the  use  of  the  needle,  and  practice  them  in  making  their  own 
dresses  and  clothing  for  their  brothers. 

Several  times  during  the  week  there  are  prayer-meetings,  when 
the  word  of  God  is  explained  to  the  heathen  who  attend. 

Saturday  is  a  holiday  for  the  children,  who  then  play,  and  pre- 
pare themselves  for  the  Sabbath.  Sunday,  finally,  is  the  great  day 
of  the  week ;  then  the  bell  calls  all  who  will  come  together  in  the 
little  bamboo  church.  The  missionary  children  and  employe's 
attend,  dressed  in  their  best ;  and  even  the  heathen  of  the  village 
follow  this  custom,  and  are  found  in  church  with  their  best  gar- 
ments, perhaps  their  only  ones,  on.  There  the  preacher  speaks 
to  them  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  and  all,  heathen  and 
Christian,  join  in  singing  praises  to  His  holy  name.  The  audi- 
ence is  generally  attentive  and  interested.  But  the  positive  success 
of  the  mission  is  so  far  not  great.    How  should  it  be  ?    To  bring 


30 


MPONGWE  HAIR-DKESSING. 


light  out  of  such  darkness,  to  remove  the  superstitions,  the  igno- 
rance, the  idleness  and  wickedness  in  which  these  poor  heathen 
are  steeped  is  a  labor  of  many  years.  Many  times,  doubtless,  my 
poor  friends  the  missionaries  are  discouraged  at  the  slight  result 
of  their  hard  labor ;  but  they  do  their  best  and  wisely  leave  the 
rest  to  God,  knowing  that  He  works  in  his  own  good  time,  and 
often  effects  great  ends  with  slightest  means. 

I  can  not  close  this  chapter  without  recording  my  gratitude  to 
the  Rev.  Wm.  Walker,  missionary  of  the  American  Board  on  the 
Gaboon  River,  whose  house  was  my  home  during  my  stay  in  Af- 
rica, and  from  whom  I  received  very  many  kindnesses. 


MPONGWE  WOMAN,  SHOWING  TI1E  MANXES  OF  DEES6ING  11 A  IS. 


> 

MYSTERIOUS  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  AFRICAN  TRIBES.  31 


CHAPTER  H. 

The  Gaboon  People.  —  Mysterious  Disappearance  of  African  Tribes. — Mpongwe 
Villages. — Houses,  how  built. — A  Mpongwe  Interior. — Costume. — An  African 
Trader. — Monopolies. — The  commission  Business  among  the  Negroes. — "Trust." 
— Extensive  System  of  Credit. — Native  Jealousy. — ^Dny  with  an  African  Trader. 
— Time  of  no  value. — Mpongwe  Coasting-trade. -^Their  Vessels. — Products  of 
the  Gaboon. — The  Ivory-trade. 

The  object  of  my  stay  at  this  time  (January,  1856)  "was  to  be 
thoroughly  acclimated  before  setting  out  on  my  interior  explora- 
tions. I  had  known  the  Gaboon  country  and  people  for  several 
years,  but  took  occasion  at  this  time  to  study  closely  the  habit? 
and  customs  of  this  tribe — the  Mpongwe — who,  once  numerous, 
are  now,  like  so  many  of  the  African  tribes,  from  various  reasons, 
entirely  disappearing. 

The  causes  for  this  mysterious  and,  to  some  extent,  unaccounta- 
ble extermination  of  certain  tribes,  who  die  out,  leaving  no  mark 
behind  them,  I  shall  consider  in  some  future  chapter.  The  fact  is 
patent  to  every  observer. 

The  Mpongwe  are  a  branch  of  one  of  the  great  families  of  the 
negro  race,  which  has  moved  gradually  from  the  head-waters  of 
the  Nazareth  down  toward  the  sea-shore,  extending  its  limits 
meantime  to  the  north  and  south,  till  now  they  are  found  from 
the  Gaboon  River  on  the  north  to  Cape  St.  Catherine  on  the  south. 
A  portion  have  taken  possession  of  the  sea-shore,  and  others  are 
located  inland.  They  have  probably  taken  the  place  of  other 
tribes  who  have  disappeared  in  the  strange  way  in  which  even 
the  Mpongwe  are  now  gradually  lessening,  while  the  Ndina  tribe 
is  nearly  gone,  only  three  persons  remaining  of  what  was  once  a 
numerous  people.    They  die,  and  little  more  can  be  said. 

All  the  divisions  of  the  Mpongwe  speak  the  same  language, 
with  a  difference  of  but  a  few  words;  though  others  again,  sand- 
wiched between,  speak  an  entirely  different  tongue.  The  migra- 
tions of  the  great  African  nations  can  not  be  understood  till  we 
know  more  about  the  interior.  I  know  only  that  there  are  eight 
different  tribes  now  settled  along  the  coast  south  of  the  Gaboon 


32 


MPONGWE  VILLAGES. 


and  in  the  interior,  who  speak  the  same  language  and  have  evi- 
dently a  common  origin. 

The  Mpongwe  inhabit  mostly  the  right  side  of  the  Gaboon  for 
about  thirty  miles  up.  They  live  in  villages,  which  are  generally 
located  with  particular  regard  to  the  trading  facilities  afforded  by 
the  position,  for  these  negroes  are  inveterate  traders — in  fact,  the 
most  intelligent  and  acute  merchants  on  the  coast. 

The  Mpongwe  villages,  though  not  extensive,  are  the  neatest 
and  best  arranged  I  have  seen  in  Africa.  They  have  generally 
but  one  main  street,  oafcoth  sides  of  which  the  houses  are  built. 
Sometimes  there  are  a  tew  short  cross-streets.  In  a  considerable 
village,  the  main  street  is  often  20  yards  wide  and  200  yards 
long.  The  houses,  of  course,  vary  in  size  according  to  the  wealth 
of  the  owner.  They  are  built  of  a  kind  of  bamboo,  which  is  ob- 
tained from  a  species  of  palm  very  plentiful  hereabouts,  and  whose 
leaves  also  furnish  them  mats  for  the  roofs.  Indeed,  this  palm 
is  one  of  the  most  generally  useful  products  of  the  country  to  the 
negroes. 

The  houses  are  always  of  quadrangular  form,  and  from  20 
to  100  feet  in  length  or  breadth.  The  principal  room  is  in  the 
centre.  The  floor  is  of  clay,  which  is  pounded  hard,  and  by  long 
use  becomes  a  hard  and  clean  flooring.  Both  houses  and  street 
are  neatly  kept. 

The  walls  are  built  up  by  first  driving  stakes  into  the  ground, 
and  to  these  stakes  neatly  tying  the  split  bamboos.  One  set  is 
tied  outside  and  another  inside,  and  the  crevices  which  are  left 
between  are  made  close  with  the  leaves  of  the  palm-tree.  Thus 
the  walls  are  smooth  and  glossy,  and  perfectly  clean.  Near  the 
creeks  they  get  a  large  yellowish-white  bamboo,  which  has  a  par- 
ticularly fine  appearance. 

The  building  of  such  a  house  is  a  matter  of  considerable  im- 
portance to  a  Mpongwe  man.  He  has  great  quantities  of  mpavo 
— the  matting  for  the  roof — made  up  ready,  then  collects  a  suf- 
ficiency of  the  bamboo,  which  has  sometimes  to  be  brought  a 
considerable  distance  up  the  river,  and  finally,  getting  all  his 
slaves  together,  marks  out  his  ground-plan,  drives  in  his  stakes, 
and  puts  up  the  walls.  Then  comes  the  question  of  doors  and 
windows,  in  which  each  man  exercises  his  own  taste,  which  gives 
a  certain  pleasing  variety  to  the  outsides.  As  for  the  interior, 
the  various  rooms  are  fitted  up  with  all  the  riches  of  their  owner : 


MPONGWE  COSTUME. 


33 


and  on  the  coast  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  them  adorned  with 
looking-glasses,  chairs,  tables,  sofas,  and  very  often  a  Yankee 
clock. 

There  is  a  great  contrast  between  such  neat  dwellings  and  the 
low,  circular,  dark,  and  dirty  hovels  of  the  negroes  between  the 
Niger -and  Senegambia,  with  their  rude  high-peaked  roofs  and 
clay  walls. 

They  are  the  best-lookirfg  people  I  have  seen,  looking  very 
much  like  the  Mandigoes ;  of  ordinary  size  and  with  pleasant  ne- 
gro features,  but  handsomer  than  the  Congo  tribes.  The  men 
wear  a  shirt,  generally  of  English,  French,  or  American  calico,  over 
which  is  wrapped  a  square  cloth,  which  falls  to  the  ankles.  To 
this  is  added  a  straw  hat  for  the  head.  Only  the  king  is  allowed 
to  wear  the  silk  hat,  of  American  or  European  manufacture.  The 
wealthier  men  and  chiefs,  however,  are  fond  of  dress,  and,  when 
they  can  afford  it,  delight  to  show  themselves  in  a  bright  military 
costume,  sword  and  all. 

The  chief,  and,  in  most  cases,  only  garment  of  the  women  is  a 
square  cloth,  which  is  wrapped  about  the  body,  and  covers  them 
from  above  the  hips  to  just  below  the  knees.  On  their  bare  legs 
and  arms  they  delight  to  wear  great  numbers  of  brass  rings,  often 
bearing  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  pounds  of  brass  on  each  ankle 
in  this  way.  This  ridiculous  vanity  greatly  obstructs  their  loco- 
motion, and  makes  their  walk  a  clumsy  waddle. 

Both  sexes  are  extremely  fond  of  ornaments  and  of  perfumery, 
with  which  they  plentifully  besprinkle  themselves,  with  little  re- 
gard to  kind. 

The  most  characteristic  point  about  the  Mpongwe — indeed  of 
all  the  negro  tribes  I  have  seen — is  their  great  eagerness  and  love 
for  trade.  My  friends  the  Mpongwe  live  by  trade.  Their  posi- 
tion at  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gaboon  gives  them  such  facili- 
ties and  such  a  command  of  the  interior  as  they  know  but  too 
well  how  to  use  and  misuse  to  their  own  advantage. 

Let  me  here  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  African  commerce. 
The  rivers,  which  are  the  only  highways  of  the  country,  are,  of 
course,  the  avenues  by  which  every  species  of  export  and  import 
must  be  conveyed  from  and  to  the  interior  tribes.  Now  the 
river  banks  are  possessed  by  different  tribes.  Thus,  while  the 
Mpongwe  hold  the  mouth  and  some  miles  above,  they  are  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Shekiani,  and  these  again  by  other  tribes,  to  the 

C 


34 


TEADE  MONOPOLIES. 


number  of  almost  a  dozen,  before  the  Sierra  del  Crystal  mountains 
are  reached.  Each  of  these  tribes  assumes  to  itself  the  privilege 
of  acting  as  go-between  or  middle-man  to  those  next  to  it,  and 
charges  a  heavy  percentage  for  this  office ;  and  no  infraction  of 
this  rule  is  permitted  under  penalty  of  war.  Thus  a  piece  of 
ivory  or  ebony  may  belong  originally  to  a  negro  in  the  far  in- 
terior, and  if  he  wants  to  barter  it  for  "  white  man's  trade,"  he 
dares  not  take  it  to  a  market  himself.  If  he  should  be  rash 
enough  to  attempt  such  a  piece  of  enterprise  his  goods  would  be 
confiscated,  and  he,  if  caught,  fined  by  those  whose  monopoly  he 
sought  to  break  down,  or  most  likely  sold  into  slavery. 

He  is  obliged  by  the  laws  of  trade  to  intrust  it  to  some  fellow 
in  the  next  tribe  nearer  than  him  to  the  coast.  He,  in  turn,  dis- 
poses of  it  to  the  next  chief  or  friend,  and  so  ivory,  or  ebony,  or 
bar-wood,  or  whatever,  is  turned  and  turned,  and  passes  through 
probably  a  dozen  hands  ere  it  reaches  the  factory  of  the  trader  on 
the  coast. 

This  would  seem  to  work  against  the  white  trader  by  increas- 
ing the  price  of  products.  But  this  is  only  half  the  evil.  Al- 
though the  producer  sold  his  ivory,  and  though  it  was  resold  a 
dozen  times,  all  this  trade  was  only  a  commission  business  with 
no  advances.  In  fact,  the  first  holder  has  trusted  each  successive 
dispenser  with  his  property  without  any  equivalent  or  "collater- 
al" security.  Now,  when  the  last  black  fellow  disposes  of  this 
piece  of  ebony  or  ivory  to  the  white  merchant  or  captain,  he  re- 
tains, in  the  first  place,  a  very  liberal  percentage  of  the  returns 
for  his  valuable  services,  and  turns  the  remainder  over  to  his  nest 
neighbor  above.  He,  in  turn,  takes  out  a  commission  for  his 
trouble  and  passes  on  what  is  left ;  and  so,  finally,  a  very  small 
remainder — too  often  nothing  at  all — is  handed  over  to  the  poor 
fellow  who  has  inaugurated  the  speculation  or  sent  the  tusk. 

Any  one  can  see  the  iniquity  of  this  system  and  the  fatal  clog 
it  throws  on  all  attempts  at  the  building  up  of  a  legitimate  com- 
merce in  a  country  so  rich  in  many  products  now  almost  indis- 
pensable to  civilized  nations.  The  poor  interior  tribes  are  kept 
by  their  neighbors  in  the  profoundest  ignorance  of  what  is  done 
on  the  coast.  They  are  made  to  believe  the  most  absurd  and  hor- 
rid stories  as  to  the  ferocity,  the  duplicity,  and  the  cunning  of  the 
white  traders.  They  are  persuaded  that  the  rascally  middle-men 
are  not  only  in  constant  danger  of  their  lives  by  their  intercourse 


HONESTY  IS  THE  WORST  POLICY. 


35 


with  the  whites,  but  that  they  do  not  make  any  profit  on  the  goods 
which  they  good-naturedly  pass  on  to  a  market,  so  that  I  have 
known  one  of  these  scoundrels,  after  having  appropriated  a  large 
share  of  the  poor  remainder  of  returns  for  a  venture  of  ivory,  act- 
ually, by  a  pitiful  story,  beg  a  portion  of  what  he  had  handed  over 
to  his  unsuspicious  client.  Each  tribe  cheats  its  next  neighbor 
above,  and  maligns  its  next  neighbor  below.  A  talent  for  slan- 
dering is,  of  course,  a  first-rate  business  talent ;  and  the  harder 
stories  one  can  tell  of  his  neighbors  below  the  greater  profit  he 
will  make  on  his  neighbor  above. 

The  consequence  is  that  the  interior  tribes — who  own  the  most 
productive  country — have  little  or  no  incentive  to  trade,  or  to 
gather  together  the  stores  of  ivory,  bar- wood,  ebony,  etc.,  for  which 
they  get  such  small  prices,  and  these  at  no  certain  intervals,  but 
often  after  long  periods,  even  years  elapsing  sometimes  before  a 
final  settlement  is  found  convenient.  Thus  these  are  discouraged, 
and  perforce  remain  in  their  original  barbarism  and  inactivity. 

The  trade  in  slaves  is  carried  on  in  exactly  the  same  way,  ex- 
cept that  sometimes  an  infraction  of  trade-laws,  or  some  disturb- 
ance on  account  of  witchcraft,  causes  a  war  between  two  tribes 
in  the  commission  business,  when,  of  course,  each  side  takes  all  it 
can  of  the  opposite  and  ships  them  direct  to  the  coast — to  the 
barracoons,  or  slave  depots,  of  which  I  shall  have  something  more 
detailed  to  say  farther  on. 

There  are,  however,  other  obstacles  to  the  prosecution  of  a  reg- 
ular commercial  enterprise  even  by  the  shrewder  among  the  ne- 
groes. It  is  not  permitted  that  any  member  of  a  tribe  shall  get 
into  his  hands  more  than  his  share  of  the  trade.  It  occurred  some 
years  ago  to  a  shrewd  Mpongwe  fellow  that  in  trade  transactions 
honesty  might  be  the  best  policy,  and  he  followed  the  suggestion 
so  well  that  presently  both  the  whites  and  the  interior  natives 
threw  a  very  considerable  trade  into  his  honest  hands.  But  no 
sooner  was  this  observed  than  he  was  threatened  with  poisoning, 
accused  of  witchcraft,  and  such  a  hullaballoo  raised  about  his  ears 
that  he  was  forced  to  actually  refuse  the  trade  offered  him,  and,  in 
a  measure,  retire  from  business  to  save  his  life. 

More  recently  still,  there  were  three  or  four  men  in  the  river 
who  had  obtained,  by  long  good  conduct,  quite  a  character  for 
honesty,  and  also,  in  consequence,  got  a  good  deal  of  business.  At 
last  a  captain  came  for  a  load  of  bar-wood,  and  declared  that  he 


36 


THE  CREDIT  SYSTEM. 


would  trust  only  the  three  or  four  men  in  question,  to  the  bitter 
disappointment  of  other  traders.  The  vessel  was  quickly  filled 
and  departed ;  and  there  arose  a  great  "  palaver" — the  Portuguese 
cant  for  a  quarrel — in  which  the  kings  and  chiefs  and  all  the  disap- 
pointed trading  fellows  met  together  at  Glass  Town — the  residence 
of  my  honest  friends — to  advise  about  such  an  outrage.  The  men 
were  called  up  for  trial.  They  had  been  educated  at  the  Amer- 
ican mission,  and  knew  how  to  write ;  and  the  charge  made  against 
them  now  was  that  they  had  written  to  the  white  man's  country 
to  say  that  there  were  no  good  men  in  Gaboon  but  themselves. 

To  this  the  accused  shrewdly  replied  that  the  white  men  would 
not  believe  men  who  should  thus  praise  themselves. 

But  reply  was  useless.  They  were  threatened  that  if  they  took 
the  next  ship  that  came,  the  malcontents  would  "  make  aboondgi," 
or  work  a  spell  of  witchcraft  upon  them,  and  kill  them.  Fortu- 
nately, in  this  case,  the  honest  fellows  had  learned  at  the  mission 
not  to  fear  such  threats ;  and  the  French  commander  for  once 
stepped  in  and  protected  them  against  their  envious  fellows,  so 
that  for  this  time,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  honesty  seems  likely 
to  get  its  reward. 

Again,  through  the  anxiety  of  white  traders  to  secure  "  trade,'" 
there  has  sprung  up  along  the  coast  an  injurious  system  of  "trust." 
A  merchant,  to  secure  to  himself  certain  quantities  of  produce  yet 
to  come  down  from  the  interior,  gives  to  such  black  fellows  as  he 
thinks  he  can  depend  on  advances  of  trade  goods,  often  to  very 
considerable  amounts.  In  this  way,  on  the  Gaboon  and  on  the 
coast,  often  many  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  are  in  the  hands 
of  natives,  for  which  no  consideration  has  been  received  by  the 
white  trader,  who  meantime  waits,  and  is  put  to  trouble  and  ex- 
pense, and  thinks  himself  lucky  if  he  do  not  eventually  lose  a  part 
of  his  investment. 

This  system  of  "  trust,"  as  it  is  called,  does  great  injury  to  the 
natives,  for  it  tempts  them  to  practice  all  sorts  of  cheats,  for  which 
they  are  sharp  enough — indeed,  much  too  shrewd  often  for  the 
white  man.  Of  course,  his  only  dependence  lies  in  the  knowledge 
of  his  black  debtor  that  if  he  cheats  too  badly  his  future  supplies 
will  be  stopped  entirely.  But  the  practice  develops  all  kinds  of 
overtrading  as  well  as  rascality — negroes  seldom  hesitating  to 
contract  to  supply  much  greater  quantities  of  produce  than  they 
can  hope  to  procure  during  a  season. 


A  DAY  WITH  THE  TRADER8. 


37 


Even  the  slave-trade,  I  found,  on  my  visit  to  Cape  Lopez,  is 
burdened  with  this  evil  of  "  trust,"  and  some  of  the  Portuguese 
slavers,  I  was  told,  get  preciously  cheated  in  their  advances  on 
shipments  of  slaves  sold  "  to  arrive,"  but  which  do  not  come  to 
band. 

I  have  heard  the  negroes  called  stupid,  but  my  experience1 
shows  them  to  be  any  thing  else  than  that.  They  are  very 
shrewd  traders  indeed ;  and  no  captain  or  merchant  who  is  a  new 
band  on  the  coast  will  escape  being  victimized  by  their  cunnniLr 
in  driving  a  bargain. 

Say  that  to-day  the  good  ship  Jenny  has  arrived  in  the  river. 
Immediately  every  black  fellow  is  full  of  trade.  The  ship  is 
boarded  by  a  crowd  of  fellows,  each  jabbering  away,  apparently 
at  random,  but  all  telling  the  same  story. 

Never  was  there  such  dearth  of  ivory,  or  whatever  the  cap- 
tain may  want ! 

Never  were  the  interior  tribes  so  obstinate  in  demanding  a 
high  price ! 
Never  was  the  whole  coast  so  bare ! 
Never  were  difficulties  so  great ! 
There  have  been  fights,  captain ! 
And  fever,  captain ! 
And  floods,  captain ! 
And  no  trade  at  all,  captain  ! 
Not  a  tooth ! 

This  point  settled,  they  produce  their  "  good  books,"  which  are 
certificates  of  character,  in  which  some  captain  or  other  white 
trader  who  is  known  on  the  coast  vouches  for  the  honesty — the 
great  honesty  and  entire  trust-worthiness — of  the  bearer.  It  is 
not  worth  while  for  a  fellow  to  present  himself  without  a  certifi- 
cate, and  the  papers  are  all  good,  because  when  "the  bearer"  has 
cheated  he  does  not  apply  for  a  "character."  Now  these  certifi- 
cates help  him  to  cheat.  "When  he  finds  the  need  of  a  new  set  of 
papers,  he  conducts  himself  with  scrupulous  honesty  toward  two 
or  three  captains.  These,  of  course,  "  certify"  him,  and  then  he 
goes  into  the  wildest  and  most  reckless  speculations,  upheld  by 
the  "  good  books,"  which  he  shows  to  every  captain  that  comes. 

Now,  while  they  are  pretending  that  nothing  is  to  be  bought, 
that  there  is  no  ivory  on  the  coast,  all  this  time  the  lying  ras- 
cals have  their  hands  full,  and  are  eager  to  sell.    They  know 


38 


EVILS  OF  "TRUST. 


the  captain  is  in  a  hurry.  The  coast  is  sickly.  The  weather  is 
hot.  He  fears  his  crew  may  fall  sick  or  die,  and  he  be  left  with  a 
broken  voyage.  Every  day  is  therefore  precious  to  him ;  but  to 
the  black  fellows  all  days  are  alike.  They  have  no  storage,  no 
interest  account,  no  fever  to  fear,  and,  accordingly,  they  can  tire 
the  captain  out.  This  they  do.  In  fact  often,  if  they  have  an 
obstinate  customer  to  deal  with,  they  even  combine  and  send  all 
the  trade  a  day's  journey  up  river,  and  thus  produce  a  fair  show 
t  of  commercial  scarcity.    At  last,  when  high  prices  have  been 

established,  when  the  inroads  of  fever  on  his  crew  or  the  advance 
of  the  season  have  made  the  poor  captain  desperately  willing  to 
pay  any  thing,  the  ivory  comes  aboard,  and  the  cunning  black 
fellows  chuckle. 

Even  then,  however,  there  are  tedious  hours  of  chaffering.  A 
negro  has  perhaps  only  one  tooth  to  sell,  and  he  is  willing — as  he 
must  live  on  this  sale  for  a  long  period  of  idleness — to  give  much 
time  to  its  proper  disposal.  He  makes  up  his  mind  beforehand 
how  much  more  he  will  ask  than  he  will  eventually  take.  He 
brings  his  tooth  alongside ;  spends  the  afternoon  in  bargaining, 
and  probably  takes  it  back  ashore  at  dusk,  to  try  again  the  next 
day ;  till  at  last,  when  he  sees  he  can  not  possibly  get  more,  he 
strikes  the  trade.  I  have  known  several  days  to  be  spent  in  the 
selling  of  a  single  tooth  or  a  single  cask  of  palm-oil. 

Of  course  the  captain  protests  that  he  is  not  in  a  hurry — that 
he  can  wait — that  they  shan't  tire  him  out.  But  the  negroes 
know  better;  they  know  the  fatal  advantage  their  climate  gives 
them. 

When  it  is  supposed  that  a  captain  or  trader  will  return  to  the 
coast  no  more  after  his  present  voyage,  then  he  is  properly  vic- 
timized, as  then  the  native  has  no  fear  of  future  vengeance  before 
him ;  and  I  have  known  many  individuals  who,  by  the  system  of 
"  trust,"  were  all  but  ruined — getting  scarce  any  return  at  all. 
,  It  is  much  to  be  wished  that  white  traders  would  combine  to 

put  down  at  least  this  abuse.  But  until  the  spread  of  commerce 
shall  break  down  the  scoundrelly  system  of  middle-men  in  this 
land,  there  will  be  no  really  prosperous  trade  there.  And  this 
will  not  happen  till  the  merchants  themselves  visit  the  head- 
quarters whence  the  produce  is  brought,  and  until  the  rude  tribes 
shall  be  somewhat  civilized  by  lengthened  contact  with  the  whites. 
At  present  things  are  in  a  state  of  utter  disorganization,  and  the 


MPONGWE  COASTERS. 


39 


"trust"  abuse  seems  a  real  necessity.  For  so  hardly  and  often 
have  the  interior  tribes  been  cheated  of  all  returns  for  their  wares, 
that  now  they  have  come  to  demand  at  least  part  payment  in  ad- 
vance ;  and,  of  course,  this  advance  is  exacted  of  the  white  trader 
on  the  coast,  to  lure  whom  great  rumors  are  spread  through  the 
tribes  of  teeth  of  a  marvelous  size  lying  ready  for  purchase,  etc. 
Too  often,  when  an  advance  has  been  made  for  a  specific  pur- 
chase, of  a  tooth,  say,  it  is,  after  all,  seized  for  some  intermediate 
party's  debt  on  its  way  down,  and  thus  the  poor  trader  is  again 
victimized. 

So  eager  are  the  Mpongwe  for  trade  that  they  have  even  set 
up  a  regular  coasting  business.  Every  considerable  negro  trader 
owns  several  canoes ;  but  his  great  ambition  is  to  buy  or  build  a 
larger  vessel,  in  which  he  may  sail  along  the  coast,  and,  getting 
goods  on  trust  from  white  merchants,  make  his  regular  voyage, 
or  establish  his  little  factory  on  some  out-of-the-way  point  on  the 
shore.  The  splendid  harbor  of  the  Gaboon  has  made  them  toler- 
ably fearless  in  the  water,  and  their  rage  for  trade  leads  them  to 
all  manner  of  adventures. 

Their  coasting  vessels  are  only  large  boats,  but  I  have  seen 
some  of  so  considerable  size  as  to  hold  conveniently  eight  to  ten 
tons.  To  make  one  of  these  they  cut  down  an  immense  tree, 
sharpen  it  at  the  ends,  then  burn  out  the  interior,  guiding  the  fire 
so  as  to  burn  the  heart  of  the  tree  and  leave  them  the  shell  they 
need.  For  this  hull,  which  is  then  scraped  smooth,  and  otherwise 
finished  and  strengthened,  they  next  make  masts  and  sails,  the 
latter  being  of  matting,  and  then  they  are  ready  for  sea.  These 
cockle-shells  stand  the  wind  and  sea  remarkably  well,  as  is  evi- 
dent when  the  squally  and  blustery  weather  of  this  country  is 
considered,  and  when  we  know  that  they  make  voyages  from  the 
Gaboon  as  far  as  Cape  St.  Catherine's  south,  and  as  far  as  Banoko 
and  Cameroon  north. 

The  start  for  one  of  these  voyages  is  a  great  occasion.  Guns 
are  fired,  and  the  people  shout  and  wish  a  pleasant  voyage ;  and 
the  lucky  vessel  is  received  at  her  port  of  destination  with  similar 
ceremonies. 

The  great  aim  of  a  Mpongwe  trader,  however,  is  to  get  "  trust" 
from  a  white  man,  with  authority  to  go  off  up  or  down  the  coast 
and  establish  a  factory.  Then  there  is  double  rejoicing.  But  the 
poor  white  trader  is  generally  sadly  victimized ;  for  his  agent  goes 


40 


MPONGWE  FACTORIES. 


to  some  spot  where  he  thinks  he  can  get  ivory  and  other  trade 
and  settles  down.  Then,  first,  he  mostly  picks  out  the  best  and 
most  valuable  of  the  goods  with  which  he  has  been  intrusted,  and 
secrets  these  for  his  own  use.  His  next  step  is  to  buy  himself 
some  slaves  and  to  marry  several  wives;  all  which  being  accom- 
plished, it  is  at  last  time  to  think  of  the  interests  of  his  principal. 
Thus,  after  many  months,  perhaps  he  makes  returns  of  his  sales, 
or  perhaps  he  fails  altogether  to  make  returns,  if  he  thinks  he  can 
cheat  so  badly  with  impunity. 

These  fellows  understand  all  the  dialects  spoken  on  the  coast, 
as  well  as  English,  French,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese.  On  their 
voyages,  as  they  go  poorly  provisioned,  and  depend  more  on  luck 
than  real  skill,  they  often  suffer  extreme  hardships,  but  they  are 
seldom  drowned. 

The  chief  product  of  the  Gaboon  country  is  its  ivory.  This  is 
said  to  be  the  finest  on  the  western  coast.  It  produces  also  bar- 
wood,  a  red  dye-wood,  from  which  is  obtained  a  dark  red  dye,  and 
ebony,  the  last  taken  from  the  great  forests  of  this  wood  which 
abound  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Gaboon  Eiver.  I  have  seen 
very  large  sticks  brought  thence,  but  the  supply  is  not  yet  large. 
The  bar-wood-tree  is  found  in  great  plenty  along  the  shores  of 
the  river  and  its  numerous  tributary  creeks.  It  is  also  found  on 
the  Moondah  and  Danger  rivers.  Copal  is  another  product  of  this 
country,  but  it  is  of  inferior  quality,  and  is  not  sought. 

Ivory  comes  down  the  river  from  the  interior  by  inland  jour- 
neys in  great  quantities.  Upward  of  80,000  pounds  are  taken 
from  the  Gaboon  Eiver  yearly  when  home  prices  are  good ;  for 
the  ruling  prices  here  are  so  high  that  traders  can  not  buy  to  ad- 
vantage unless  the  home  demand  is  very  brisk.  I  suppose  that 
the  country  from  Banoko  to  Loango  furnishes  in  brisk  years  at 
least  150,000  pounds  of  ivory. 

But  however  important  may  be  these  commercial  resources  of 
the  Gaboon  country,  I  am  convinced  that  the  people  will  never 
prosper  till  they  turn  their  attention  more  to  agricultural  operations, 
for  elephants  must  finally  disappear.  This,  indeed,  is  the  great 
evil  of  all  the  nations  of  Western  Africa.  The  men  despise  labor, 
and  force  their  women  and  slaves  to  till  the  fields ;  and  this  tillage 
never  assumes  the  important  proportions  it  deserves,  so  that  the 
supply  of  food  is  never  abundant ;  and,  as  will  be  seen  farther  on. 
the  tribes,  almost  without  exception,  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  and. 
with  a  fertile  soil,  are  half  the  time  in  a  state  of  semi-starvation. 


DECREASE  OF  THE  MPONGWE. 


41 


CHAPTEE  III. 

Some  Causes  of  the  Decrease  of  the  Mpongwe. — Restrictions  as  to  Intermarriage.— 
Last  Days  of  King  Glass. — Public  Opinion  on  the  Gaboon. — Mourning  for  a  King. 
— "  Making"  a  new  King. — Character  of  the  Mpongwe. — An  African  Gentleman. 
—Food. — Agriculture. 

To  return  to  the  Mpongwe,  who,  as  the  leading  tribe  on  the 
Gaboon,  deserve  a  few  words  more.  I  have  said  before  that  this, 
in  common  with  most  of  the  tribes,  is  slowly  decreasing  in  num- 
bers. Polygamy  and  the  numerous  murders,  or  accusations  for 
witchcraft,  do  more  to  cause  this  decrease  than  aught  else  visible, 
as  will  be  shown  in  the  course  of  this  narrative ;  much  more  than 
fevers  and  irregular  habits. 

The  coast  tribe  is  much  divided  into  classes,  whose  distinction 
is  kept  up  chiefly  by  the  restraints  in  intermarriage.  Of  Mpong- 
we of  pure  blood  there  are  at  present  not  more  than  three  hund- 
red. Next  to  these  in  rank  come  the  descendants  of  Mpongwe 
fathers  by  Mbinga,  Shekiani,  or  Bakalai  women ;  these  amount 
to  about  800.  Next  come  the  children  of  Mpongwe  men  by 
their  slave  women.  These  are  called  bambai;  and,  though  they 
enjoy  little  less  consideration  than  the  purer  blood,  are  not  per- 
mitted to  marry  with  that  privileged  class.  These  may  number 
1000.  Then  come  the  children  of  slaves,  who  form  a  great  pro- 
portion of  the  population,  numbering  not  less  than  1000 ;  and, 
Anally,  the  lowest  of  all,  the  slaves,  who  number,  I  suppose,  three 
or  four  thousand. 

They  live  chiefly  on  the  right  side  of  the  Gaboon  Eiver,  hav- 
ing their  villages,  called  Kringe,  Qua-ben,  Louis,  or  Dowe  Glass. 
Prince  Glass,  and  two  more,  on  Point  Olinda  and  Parrot  Island. 
On  the  left  side  are  the  villages  of  Eoi  Dennis,  otherwise  called 
King  William,  King  George,  and  King  Lucan.  These  dignitaries 
are  petty  chiefs,  who  govern  after  a  fashion,  and  with  considerable 
limitations,  the  towns  named  after  them.  The  whole  tribe  seems 
to  be  ruled  by  four  of  the  principal  kings;  but  when  disputes 
arise,  which  is  constantly,  there  must  be  a  palaver  in  the  village, 
in  which  the  old  men  join  and  advise.    King  Qua-ben  is  held  to 


AN  AFRICAN  TYRANT. 


be  the  father  of  the  Aguegu&a,  to  which  family  King  Glass  also 
belongs.  The  Point  Olinda  villages  belong  to  the  Ogongo  fam- 
ily. King  William  (or  Rompochembo)  belongs  to  the  Ashiga  fam- 
ily, and  is  the  most  intelligent  of  all  the  kings. 

While  I  was  in  the  Gaboon  old  King  Glass  died.  He  had 
been  long  ailing,  but  stuck  to  life  with  a  determined  tenacity 
which  almost  bade  fair  to  cheat  death.  He  was  a  disagreeable 
old  heathen,  but  in  his  last  days  became  very  devout — after  his 
fashion.  His  idol  was  always  freshly  painted  and  brightly  dec- 
orated; his  fetich  was  the  best  cared  for  fetich  in  Africa;  and 
every  few  days  some  great  doctor  was  brought  down  from  the  in- 
terior, and  paid  a  large  fee  for  advising  the  old  king.  He  was 
afraid  of  witchcraft — thought  every  body  wanted  to  put  him  out 
of  the  way  by  bewitching  him ;  and  in  this  country  your  doctor 
does  not  try  to  cure  your  sickness ;  his  business  is  to  keep  off  the 
witches. 

The  tribe  had  got  tired  of  their  king.  They  thought,  indeed, 
that  he  was  himself  a  most  potent  and  evil-disposed  wizard,  and, 
though  the  matter  was  not  openly  talked  about,  there  were  few 
natives  who  would  pass  his  house  after  night,  and  none  who 
would  be  tempted  inside  by  any  slighter  provocation  than  an  ir- 
resistible jug  of  rum.  Indeed,  if  he  had  not  belonged  to  one  of 
the  most  noble  families  of  the  Mpongwe  tribe,  I  think  he  would 
perhaps  have  been  killed,  so  rife  was  suspicion  against  him. 

When  he  got  sick  at  last  every  body  seemed  very  sorry ;  but 
several  of  my  friends  told  me  in  confidence  that  the  whole  town 
hoped  he  would  die ;  and  die  he  did.  I  was  awakened  one  morn- 
ing early  by  the  mournful  cries  and  wails  with  which  the  African 
oftener  assumes  a  sham  sorrow  than  eases  a  real  grief.  All  the 
town  seemed  lost  in  tears.  It  is  a  most  singular  thing  to  see  the 
faculty  the  women  of  Africa  have  for  pumping  up  tears  on  the 
slightest  occasion,  or  for  no  occasion  at  all.  There  needs  no  grief 
or  pain  to  draw  the  water.  I  have  seen  them  shed  tears  copious- 
ly, and  laughing  all  the  while. 

The  mourning  and  wailing  lasted  six  days.  On  the  second  the 
old  king  was  secretly  buried.  The  Mpongwe  kings  are  always 
buried  by  a  few  of  the  most  trustworthy  men  of  the  tribe  in  a 
spot  which  they  only  know  of,  and  which  is  forever  hidden  from 
all  others.  This  custom  arises  from  a  vain  belief  of  the  Mpongwe 
that,  as  they  are  the  most  able  and  intelligent  people  of  Africa. 


MAKING  A  KING. 


43 


the  other  tribes  would  like  much  to  get  the  head  of  oue  of  their 
kings,  with  the  brains  of  which  to  make  a  powerful  fetich. 
Such  an  advantage  they  are  not  willing  to  give  to  their  neigh- 
bors. Now,  as  it  is  customary  to  hang  a  flag  or  a  piece  of  cloth 
where  a  Mpongwe  is  buried,  these  old  men  hung  also  a  large 
piece  of  bright  cloth  over  a  spot  where  the  king  was  not  laid. 
Where  he  was  put  I  can  not  tell,  because  the  secret  was  not  told 
even  to  me.  ■ 

During  the  days  of  mourning  the  old  men  of  the  village  busied 
themselves  in  choosing  a  new  king.  This  also  is  a  secret  opera- 
tion. The  choice  is  made  in  private,  and  communicated  to  the 
populace  only  on  the  seventh  day,  when  the  new  king  is  to  be 
crowned.  But  the  king  is  kept  ignorant  of  his  good  fortune  to 
the  last. 

It  happened  that  Njogoni,  a  good  friend  of  my  own,  was  elected. 
The  choice  fell  on  him,  in  part  because  he  came  of  a  good  family, 
but  chiefly  because  he  was  a  favorite  of  the  people  and  could  get 
the  most  votes.  I  do  not  know  that  Njogoni  had  the  slightest  sus- 
picion of  his  elevation.  At  any  rate  he  shammed  ignorance  very 
well.  As  he  was  walking  on  the  shore,  on  the  morning  of  the 
seventh  day,  he  was  suddenly  set  upon  by  the  entire  populace, 
who  proceeded  to  a  ceremony  which  is  preliminary  to  the  crown- 
ing, and  which  must  deter  any  but  the  most  ambitious  men  from 
aspiring  to  the  crown.  They  surrounded  him  in  a  dense  crowd, 
and  then  began  to  heap  upon  him  every  manner  of  abuse  that  the 
worst  of  mobs  could  imagine.  Some  spit  in  his  face ;  some  beat 
him  with  their  fists ;  some  kicked  him ;  others  threw  disgusting- 
objects  at  him  ;  while  those  unlucky  ones  who  stood  on  the  out- 
side, and  could  reach  the  poor  fellow  only  with  their  voices,  as- 
siduously cursed  him,  his  father,  his  mother,  his  sisters  and  broth- 
ers, and  all  his  ancestors  to  the  remotest  generation.  A  stranger 
would  not  have  given  a  cent  for  the  life  of  him  who  was  present- 
ly to  be  crowned. 

Amid  all  the  noise  and  struggle,  I  caught  the  words  which  ex- 
plained all  to  me ;  for  every  few  minutes  some  fellow,  adminis- 
tering an  especially  severe  blow  or  kick,  would  shout  out,  "You 
are  not  our  king  yet ;  for  a  little  while  we  will  do  what  we  please 
with  you.    By-and-by  we  shall  have  to  do  your  will." 

Njogoni  bore  himself  like  a  man  and  a  prospective  king.  He 
kept  his  temper,  and  took  all  the  abuse  with  a  smiling  face. 


44  A  ROYAL  RECEPTION. 

When  it  had  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  they  took  him  to  the  house 
of  the  old  king.  Here  he  was  seated,  and  became  again  for  a  lit- 
tle while  the  victim  of  his  people's  curses. 

Then  all  became  silent ;  and  the  elders  of  the  people  rose  and 
said,  solemnly  (the  people  repeating  after  them),  "  Now  we  choose 
you  for  our  king ;  we  engage  to  listen  to  you  and  to  obey  you." 

A  silence  followed,  and  presently  the  silk  hat,  which  is  the  em- 
blem of  Mpongwe* royalty,  was  brought  in  and  placed  on  Njo- 
goni's  head.  He  was  then  dressed  in  a  red  gown,  and  received 
the  greatest  marks  of  respect  from  all  who  had  just  now  abused 
him. 

Now  followed  a  six  days'  festival,  during  which  the  poor  king, 
who  had  taken  with  the  office  also  the  name  of  his  predecessor, 
was  obliged  to  receive  his  subjects  in  his  own  house,  and  was  not 
allowed  to  stir  out.  Six  days  of  indescribable  gorging  of  food 
and  bad  rum  ;  of  beastly  drunkenness  and  uproarious  festivitv. 
Numbers  of  strangers  came  in  from  surrounding  villages  to  pav 
their  respects ;  and  all  brought  more  rum,  more  palm  wine,  and 
more  food.  Every  thing  that  tended  toward  festivity  was  given 
away,  and  all  who  came  were  welcome. 

Old  King  Glass,  for  whom  for  six  days  no  end  of  tears  had  been 
shed,  was  now  forgotten ;  and  new  King  Glass,  poor  fellow.  wa< 
sick  with  exhaustion,  for  day  and  night  he  had  to  be  ready  to  re- 
ceive and  be  civil  to  all  who  came. 

Finally,  the  rum  was  drunk  up,  the  allotted  days  were  expired, 
and  quiet  once  more  began  to  reign.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  his 
new  majesty  was  permitted  to  walk  out  and  view  his  domains. 

By  long  intercourse  with  traders,  and  the  commercial  necessity 
for  mild  manners,  the  coast  Mpongwe  have,  as  a  people,  acquired 
a  polish  and  politeness  of  address  which  astonishes  strangers  very 
greatly.  They  know  perfectly  how  to  make  themselves  at  home 
with  all  the  whites  they  meet,  and  understand  how  to  flatter  the 
peculiarities  of  the  different  nationalities,  the  American,  English. 
French,  and  Spanish,  in  a  very  amusing  and  extremely  shrewd 
way.  In  fact,  they  are  a  mercantile  people,  and  recognize  out- 
ward politeness  as  a  valuable  commercial  quality ;  but,  with  all 
their  smoothness,  they  are  inwardly  great  rascals  and  keen  dis- 
simulators. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries  will  have 
some  effect  upon  the  rising  generation,  among  whom  chiefly  they 


AN  AFRICAN  GENTLEMAN. 


45 


must  expect  to  labor ;  for  of  the  grown  negro,  in  whom  the  love 
of  idleness  and  chicanery  are  already  habits,  it  is  next  to  impossi- 
ble to  make  any  thing. 

But  it  would  be  wrong  to  condemn  the  whole  people.  As  fu- 
ture pages  will  show,  I  met  every  where  in  my  travels  men  and 
women  honest,  well-meaning,  and  in  every  way  entitled  to  respect 
and  trust;  and  the  very  fact  that  a  white  man  could  travel  alone, 
single-handed  and  without  powerful  backers,  through  this  rude 
country  without  being  molested  or  robbed,  is  sufficient  evidence 
that  the  negro  race  is  not  unkindly -natured. 

One  of  the  chief  men  of  Glass  Town,  a  man  whom  I  knew  and 
loved,  was  a  remarkable  exception  to  the  general  dishonesty  of 
the  coast  Mpongwe.  This  man  was  respected  and  trusted  by  all 
the  traders  of  the  various  nations  who  came  to  the  Gaboon,  and 
enjoyed  as  well  the  esteem  of  his  countrymen  and  of  the  whites. 
Though  not  a  professing  Christian,  his  long  intercourse  with  the 
missionaries  had  opened  his  eyes  to  the  deceits  and  cruelties  of 
fetichism.  He  adhered  to  polygamy,  probably  because  he  saw  no 
way  to  rid  himself  of  his  numerous  family.  But  he  was  really, 
in  manners  and  conduct,  a  black  gentleman ;  genial,  affable,  po- 
lite, kind,  and  benevolent.  No  stranger  or  poor  person  ever  pass- 
ed his  bamboo  house  without  help  from  him.  No  one  asked  in 
vain  for  a  share  of  his  means  or  his  influence.  As  a  trader,  ev- 
ery white  man  liked  him ;  and  he  was  never  known  to  "  make 
palaver,"  as  is  too  much  the  custom  among  his  fellows.  He 
died  when  I  was  in  the  Commi  country ;  and,  as  an  extraordinary 
proof  of  his  benevolence  and  enlightenment,  with  his  last  words 
he  forbade  strictly  that  any  of  his  slaves  should  be  killed  over 
his  grave :  unlike  one  of  his  fellow-chiefs,  Toko,  who,  dying  but 
a  little  while  before,  had  a  great  number  of  poor  wretches  tortured 
and  killed  at  his  funeral. 

Poor  Will  Glass !  He  lies  in  the  mission  burying-ground,  near 
the  men  whom  he  loved  in  life,  and  who  had  before  him  fallen 
victims  to  their  zeal  for  Christ  and  their  love  for  their  fellow- 
men. 

I  sat  one  day  in  "Will  Glass's  house,  when  he  began  to  speak 
of  his  friends,  missionaries  who  had  returned  home,  and  whose 
absence  he  grieved  over.  Especially  he  seemed  to  feel  the  loss 
of  the  Bev.  J.  Leighton  Wilson,  our  common  friend,  and  now  the 
Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Mr. 


46 


FOOD. — PLANTATIONS. 


Wilson's  memory  is  still  cherished  among  the  people  of  the  Ga- 
boon ;  and  Will  Glass  told  me  how  the  natives  in  crowds  escort- 
ed Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  to  the  boat  when  they  were  about  to 
leave  the  coast.  "Little  did  I  think  we  should  never  see  him 
again,"  said  he ;  then,  after  a  pause,  "  I  shall  never  see  him 
again." 

And  looking  up,  I  saw  two  great  tears  rolling  down  the  wrin- 
kled cheeks  of  this  old  black  man,  who  had  probably  known  no 
tears  for  many  years  before.  Such  is  the  affection  which  thar 
missionary  and  others  inspired  in  the  breasts  of  natives  who  art 
not  even  their  converts. 

The  vegetable  food  of  the  Mpongwe,  and  with  little  variation 
of  most  of  the  other  tribes  of  this  region  near  the  sea-shore,  con- 
sists of  Indian  corn,  the  plaintain,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  cassava 
(manioc),  tania,  pumpkins,  and  ground  or  pea-nuts.  The  last  pro- 
duce enormously,  and  considerable  oil  could  be  made  if  any  one 
would  give  attention  to  their  cultivation  for  this  purpose.  The 
forests  abound  in  wild  fruits  and  nuts,  some  of  which  are  eaten ; 
for  instance,  the  pine-apple  grows  wild  in  all  parts  of  this  region, 
and  is  a  delicious  fruit. 

Their  plantations  are  never  near  their  villages,  and  often  many 
miles  away.  The  consequence  is,  that  during  the  dry  season 
the  Mpongwe  villages  are  mostly  deserted,  all  hands,  men,  wom- 
en, and  slaves,  being  busily  engaged  on  their  farms  in  preparing 
the  soil  for  the  crop,  which  must  be  put  down  by  the  beginning 
of  the  rainy  season.  This  is  a  busy  time,  as  generally  new  clear- 
ings have  to  be  made,  for  which  the  men  cut  down  the  trees  and 
burn  them,  when  the  women  come  in  and  put  in  the  crop.  They 
use  no  plows  or  hoes,  but  only  a  little  tool  like  a  gardener's  dib- 
ble, with  which  they  turn  up  a  piece  of  sod,  put  in  a  seed,  cover 
it  over,  and  pass  on  to  the  next.  But,  rude  as  their  agricultural 
knowledge  is,  they  sometimes  raise  good  crops. 

The  soil  is  well  fitted  for  raising  many  valuable  articles  of  com- 
merce. Sugar-canes  grow  luxuriantly  on  the  banks  of  the  Ga- 
boon. Coffee-plants  were  first  introduced  by  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Wil- 
son, fifteen  years  ago,  and  now  bear  finely,  those  about  the  mis- 
sion-grounds being  particularly  loaded  with  berries.  And  I  have 
no  doubt  other  valuable  tropical  plants  not  indigenous  would 
succeed,  if  only  the  labor  necessary  for  proper  culture  were  at- 
tainable. 


ANDIAL  FOOD. 


47 


The  Mpongwe  eat  the  meat  of  almost  every  animal  found  in 
the  forest  and  river — deer,  antelopes,  wild  boar.  Civilization  has 
taught  them  not  to  eat  animals  of  other  orders  like  the  other  na- 
tives, such  as  chimpanzee,  crocodile,  monkeys,  rats,  and  so  forth ; 
such  food  is  eaten  by  their  slaves.  Often,  when  hunters  succeeded 
in  killing  for  me  a  rare  and  unknown  bird,  I  was  disappointed  of 
preserving  it,  because  they  would  slyly  eat  the  meat  and  ruin  the 
skin. 


48 


CORISCO  THE  BEAUTIFUL. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Oorisco  the  Beautiful. — The  Mbingas. — Missionary  Stations. — African  Wake. — Set 
out  for  the  Muni. — An  Explorer's  Outfit. — Plan  of  Operations. — Poor  Debtor  in 
Africa. — Lynch  Law. — My  Canoe. — The  Muni. — Mangrove  Swamps. — Lost. — 
King  Dayoko. — Salutations. 

The  Gaboon,  being  old  and  beaten  ground,  did  not  need  my 
explorations.  It  was  useful  to  me  as  a  starting-place  or  point  of 
departure,  because  here  only  could  I  lay  in  such  supplies  of  goods 
as  I  needed  from  time  to  time  to  make  my  way  into  the  interior ; 
and  hither  I  returned  to  rest  and  regain  health  and  strength  after 
each  of  my  tours.  Beyond  this  we  shall  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  Gaboon  henceforth. 

It  was  my  intention  to  proceed  first  on  an  exploration  of  the 
River  Muni,  and  for  this  purpose  I  sailed  from  Gaboon  for  Corisco 
Island,  where  I  was  to  get  canoes  and  men  to  help  me  at  least  a 
part  of  the  way  up  river.  Corisco — the  picturesque  Corisco  it  de- 
serves to  be  called — is  an  island  situated  in  the  bay  of  the  same 
name,  and  at  about  twelve  miles  from  the  main  land  of  Cape  St 
John,  between  that  and  Cape  Steiras.  It  is  a  tolerably  high  and 
well-wooded  island,  and  its  shores  are  lined  chiefly  with  cocoanut- 
palms,  the  produce  of  some  cocoanuts  floated  hither  from  the 
isles  of  Prince's  and  St.  Thomas,  where  they  are  very  plenty, 
whereas  here  the  cocoanut  is  scarce  known. 

Though  but  a  small  island,  Corisco  has  its  hills  and  valleys,  for- 
ests and  prairies,  and  has  even  a  little  lake  or  pond,  where  ducks 
often  come  to  bathe  and  fish.  It  seems  a  little  world,  and  a  very 
lovely  little  world  at  that.  The  shores  are  sometimes  rocky  and 
steep,  presenting  a  firm  front  to  the  waves  which  rage  and  dash 
against  its  sides ;  and  then  again  flat  and  sandy,  forming  beautiful 
white  shell-strewn  beaches  backed  by  lovely  palms,  among  which 
the  little  native  villages  are  clustered,  with  their  plantations  of 
plaintain,  manioc,  peanuts,  and  corn  showing  through  the  palm- 
groves. 

The  villages  are  scattered  all  along  the  shore,  so  that,  which- 


THE  MBESTGA. 


49 


ever  side  you  sail  past,  you  see  the  smoke  pleasantly  curling  above 
the  tree-tops.  Great  quantities  of  beautiful  shells  are  found  on 
the  shores,  and  among  the  rocks  at  low  tide  sea-birds  also  abound, 
and  on  almost  any  steep  rock  overhanging  the  water  the  hunter 
may  see  fish-hawks  and  eagles  patiently  sitting  and  watching  for 
their  finny  prey  below.  Great  quantities  of  fish  are  caught  by 
the  natives,  and  at  certain  seasons  turtle  frequent  the  shores,  and 
are  "turned"  in  considerable  numbers.  The  interior  forests 
abound  in  parrots  and  smaller  birds. 

The  climate  of  the  island  is  healthier  than  that  of  the  neighbor- 
ing coast.  Water  is  scarce  at  certain  seasons,  though  there  are  a 
few  springs  and  little  rivulets  of  pure  water  in  the  centre  of  the 
island  which  never  run  ■  dry.  The  soil  produces,  besides  cocoa- 
nuts,  manioc,  plantain,  sweet  potatoes,  }^ams,  and  ground-nuts; 
limes  are  also  abundant.  Manioc  is,  however,  the  chief  food  of 
the  people.  Palm-oil-trees  grow  abundantly,  but  not  much  palm- 
oil  is  made,  and  the  natives  consume  all  the  island  produces. 
But  the  palm  adds  another  grace  to  a  landscape  of  which  my 
eyes  never  tired,  and  the  bright-feathered  parrots  and  other  beau- 
tiful birds,  and  squirrels  who  constantly  run  about  this  palm  and 
feed  on  its  bunches  of  yellow  nuts,  make  the  tree  a  favorite  with 
lovers  of  nature. 

The  island  is  not  more  than  twelve  miles  in  circumference. 
Its  population,  of  about  1000  souls,  is  scattered  all  over  the 
island.  They  are  a  quiet,  peaceable  people,  hospitable  to  strangers 
and  fond  of  white  men,  particularly  of  the  missionaries  who  have 
settled  among  them.  They  belong  to  the  Mbenga  tribe,  who  are 
the  most  enterprising  traders  and  the  most  daring  boatmen  of  the 
coast.  They  were  formerly  the  most  warlike  tribe  of  this  part  of 
the  country,  and,  when  I  first  came  on  the  coast,  were  continually 
fighting  with  their  neighbors.  About  ten  years  ago  the  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Missions  sent  out  some  missionaries,  and  the  labors 
of  these  worthy  gentlemen  have  almost  entirely  changed  the  char- 
acter of  the  Mbenga.  They  are  no  longer  so  quarrelsome,  and 
have  lost  that  reputation  for  ferocity  which  formerly  they  prided 
themselves  on. 

This  tribe  inhabits  not  only  Corisco,  but  also  the  land  about 
the  neighboring  Capes  Steiras  and  St.  John.  Their  language  dif- 
fers somewhat  from  the  Bakalai,  but  has,  like  that,  no  letter  E, 
while  the  Mpongwe  and  its  dialects  abound  in  the  use  of  this  letter. 

D 


50 


MISSIONARY  LABORS. 


Corisco  has  no  cattle  nor  wild  beasts,  the  only  quadrupeds 
found  being  three  varieties  of  squirrels.  Snakes,  however,  are 
common,  particularly  a  venomous  black  snake.  The  island  pro- 
duces little  that  can  be  traded  away  except  vegetables.  The 
meat  of  the  inhabitants  consists  of  fish  and  turtle.  The  energies 
of  the  Mbenga,  finding  no  field  in  their  little  island,  carry  them  to 
the  main  land,  where  they  are  in  great  repute  as  traders.  In  their 
canoes  they  sail  up  the  Muni  and  Moondah  rivers,  and  as  far  as 
Banoko,  and  many  of  them  are  regularly  employed  by  the  white 
merchants  to  do  their  trading. 

There  are  three  missionary  stations  on  the  island,  Evangasimba, 
Ngobi,  and  Olongo.  There  is  a  school  at  each  station,  and  when 
I  was  last  there  these  schools  were  attended  during  the  week  by 
about  100  scholars,  and  on  Sunday  by  about  125.  Many  of  the 
children  are  growing  up  in  Christian  habits  of  life,  and  it  is  not 
too  much  to  hope  that  the  next  generation  will  live  a  different 
life  from  this  poor  heathen  and  ignorant  existence  of  their  fa- 
thers.   There  are  about  75  church  members. 

The  missionaries  have  scholars  in  the  schools  from  tribes  on 
the  main  land,  and  these  they  hope  to  send  out  by-and-by  to  tell 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  each  to  his  own  people. 

But  much  remains  to  be  done.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  rout 
superstitious  customs  out  of  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  grown 
old  in  their  practice.  Upon  such  the  missionaries  can  have  but 
little  influence.  They  say  "Yes,  yes,"  but  they  go  ahead  in  their 
old  ways.  They  respect  and  love  the  missionaries ;  they  see  the 
absurdity  of  their  fetich  worship ;  they  are  convinced  of  the  wick- 
edness of  slave-killing  and  other  cruelties ;  and  then  at  the  first 
excitement  they  sink  back  supinely  into  every  superstitious  or 
cruel  custom.  It  is  to  the  rising  generation  that  the  good  mis- 
sionaries have  to  look  for  the  full  reward  of  their  faithful  labors. 

A  few  days  before  I  left  the  island,  Tonda,  a  Mbenga  fellow 
who  had  traveled  with  me  on  the  Muni,  died,  and  at  his  funeral 
I  was  witness  to  a  singular  ceremony,  akin  to  the  "waking''  of 
the  body. 

The  mother  of  poor  Tonda,  who  heard  that  I  wished  to  see 
him  once  more,  led  me  to  the  house  where  the  body  was  laid. 
The  narrow  space  of  the  room  was  crowded ;  about  two  hund- 
red women  were  sitting  and  standing  around,  singing  mourning 
songs  to  doleful  and  monotonous  airs.    They  were  so  huddled 


A  MBINGA  FUNERAL. 


51 


together  that  for  a  while  I  could  not  distinguish  the  place  of  the 
corpse.  At  last  some  moved  aside,  and  behold !  the  body  of  my 
friend. 

It  was  seated  in  a  chair. 

It  was  dressed  iD  a  black  tail-coat  and  a  pair  of  pantaloons. 

It  had  several  strings  of  beads  about  the  neck. 

Altogether,  it  was  a  ghastly  sight,  though  the  pallid  face  of 
death  can  not  be  seen  in  the  negro. 

As  I  stood  looking,  filled  with  solemn  thoughts,  in  spite  of,  or 
rather  because  of,  perhaps,  the  somewhat  ludicrous  contrasts  about 
me,  the  mother  of  Tonda  approached. 

She  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  her  dead  son,  and  begged  him 
to  speak  to  her  once  more. 

And  then,  when  the  poor  corpse  did  not  answer,  she  uttered  a 
shriek,  so  long,  so  piercing,  such  a  wail  of  love  and  grief,  that  the 
tears  came  into  my  eyes.  Poor  African  mother !  she  was  literally 
as  one  sorrowing  without  hope ;  for  these  poor  people  count  on 
nothing  beyond  the  present  life.  For  them  there  is  no  hope  be- 
yond the  grave.  "All  is  done,"  they  say,  with  an  inexpressible 
sadness  of  conviction  that  sometimes  gave  me  a  heartache.  Truly, 
it  is  worth  while  to  bear  words  of  comfort  and  promise  to  such  as 
these. 

As  I  left  the  hut,  thinking  these  things,  the  wailing  recom- 
menced. It  would  be  kept  up  by  the  women,  who  are  the  official 
mourners  on  these  occasions,  till  the  corpse  was  buried.  Then 
the  family  and  friends  would  lay  aside  their  ornaments  for  many 
months,  would  refrain  from  dancing  and  all  manner  of  merry- 
making, till  at  last  all  is  forgotten  again. 

At  the  funeral  the  friends  of  poor  Tonda  wished  to  bury  with 
him  a  quantity  of  goods ;  but  as  the  poor  fellow  was  being  buried 
according  to  the  Christian  manner,  Rev.  Mr.  Mackey  properly  ob- 
jected. The  good  missionary  preached  words  of  hope  to  the 
many  hundreds  standing  about  the  grave,  and  perhaps  the  poor 
lone  grieving  mother  found  some  comfort  in  her  heart  when  she 
went  away.    I  was  glad  to  hope  so  at  any  rate. 

The  Bay  of  Corisco,  across  whose  mouth  lies  the  island  of  the 
same  name,  is  one  of  the  loveliest  bays  on  the  whole  African  coast. 
It  would  be  also  one  of  the  finest  for  mercantile  purposes  were  it 
not  for  its  numerous  shallows.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  deep, 
by  twenty-five  miles  across  at  the  mouth,  and  contains  several 


52 


UP  THE  MUNI. 


lesser  islands  and  some  sandy  islets,  which  afford  shelter  for  sea- 
birds,  and  are  famous  places  for  picking  up  fine  sea-shells.  The 
rivers  Muni  and  Moondah  empty  their  waters  into  the  bay;  and 
on  a  clear  day  one  can  see  from  the  hill-tops  of  Corisco  the  distant 
highlands  of  the  interior  main  land,  and  the  high  mountains  yet 
farther  back  in  which  the  Muni  has  its  source. 

This  bay  was  formerly  much  frequented  in  the  season  (July  and 
August)  by  whales,  who  came  here  to  drop  their  young ;  but  the 
whale-ships  have  pursued  them  so  regularly  that  now  they  are  very 
shy,  and  no  longer  come  in  such  quantities  as  formerly.  I  have 
known  a  vessel  to  get  in  two  months  sixteen  or  eighteen  whales. 

At  Corisco  I  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the  missionaries,  and 
take  this  occasion  to  offer  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  James  Mackey  and  Clemens  for  many  kind  attentions 
received  from  them. 

It  was  here  that  I  made  preparations  for  a  long  journey,  in 
which  I  intended  to  explore  the  Muni  to  its  head- waters ;  to  cross, 
if  possible,  the  Sierra  del  Crystal,  and  see  what  kind  of  country 
and  what  manner  of  people  were  to  be  found  there.  I  wanted 
particularly  to  visit  the  cannibal  tribes  in  the  Sierra,  and  to  ascer- 
tain if  the  Congo,  which  had  been  supposed  to  flow  northward 
back  of  these  mountains,  was  there  to  be  found. 

My  voyage  was  to  be  made  alone,  so  far  as  white  companions 
were  concerned.  Mbango,  a  chief  or  head-man  among  the  Corisco 
people,  was  engaged  to  accompany  me,  to  introduce  me  to  a  friend 
of  his,  an  influential  king  on  the  Muni. 

We  set  out  in  Mbango's  canoe  on  the  27th  of  July.  The  canoe 
was  hewn  out  of  a  single  tree,  and,  though  narrow,  was  commo- 
dious and  safe  enough  for  so  rough  a  journey. 

My  crew  consisted  of  twelve  black  fellows,  besides  Mbango,  all 
armed  with  guns.  I  foresaw  that,  from  the  dread  all  the  coast  na- 
tives have  of  the  cannibal  tribes,  I  should  have  difficulty  in  car- 
rying all  my  baggage.  I  therefore  determined  not  to  encumber 
myself  with  supplies  of  provisions  or  any  thing  else  that  could  be 
spared.  My  outfit  consisted  only  of  the  following  articles :  A 
chest  containing  100  fathoms  of  prints,  19  pounds  of  white  beads, 
a  quantity  of  small  looking-glasses,  fire-steels  and  flints,  a  quan- 
tity of  leaf  tobacco.  In  addition  to  which  came  my  greatest  de- 
pendence, viz. :  80  pounds  of  shot  and  bullets,  25  pounds  of  pow- 
der, and  my  guns. 


NEW  WAY  TO  COLLECT  A  DEBT. 


53 


The  day  on  which  we  sailed  was  beautiful.  There  was  a  fine 
breeze,  and  we  passed  in  rapid  succession  the  islets  which  dot  the 
Bay  of  Corisco,  Leval,  Banian,  and  Big  and  Little  Alobi.  We 
were  making  fine  progress,  and  I  was  in  high  spirits  at  the  aus- 
picious commencement  of  my  trip,  when  one  of  those  peculiar  de- 
tentions occurred  which  arise  out  of  the  ill-regulated  trade  sys- 
tem of  Africa,  and  which  would  be  laughable  were  they  not  vex- 
atious. 

Mbango  was  a  great  trading  man.  Therefore  Mbango  had 
debts  owing  him.  Now  Mbango's  debtors,  like  most  debtors  on 
the  African  coast,  were  not  fond  of  paying,  and  I  found  that 
Mbango  made  a  practice  of  lying  in  wait  for  them,  seizing  them, 
and  robbing  them  of  what  they  happened  to  have  with  them,  as 
a  kind  of  new  way  to  pay  old  debts. 

Accordingly,  as  we  were  sailing  along,  my  steersman  kept  an 
unusually  sharp  look-out  ahead.  His  care  was  presently  reward- 
ed. "We  saw  a  large  boat  sailing  along  down  toward  us  careless- 
ly, as  though  they  had  no  enemies  to  dread.  No  sooner,  howev- 
er, were  the  boatmen  near  enough  to  recognize  us  than,  with  a 
little  shout  of  surprise,  they  put  about  and  sailed  and  paddled  off 
in  the  utmost  haste. 

But  Mbango  also  gave  a  little  shout.  He  recognized  in  the 
same  moment  in  the  other  boat  a  veteran  poor  debtor  of  his. 
Turning  our  boat  after  the  other,  he  urged  his  men  to  paddle, 
and  meantime  shouted  to  the  others  to  stop. 

But  the  more  he  called  "  stop,"  the  harder  they  paddled  off. 

Now  our  side  became  excited.  Mbango  called  that  he  would 
fire  upon  them. 

This  only  frightened  them  more. 

Our  men  seized  their  guns,  and  (slyly  shaking  the  powder  out 
of  the  touchholes,  I  must  say  to  their  credit)  pointed  directly  at 
the  frying  boat. 

Now  the  women  even  seized  paddles  and  plied  them  vigor- 
ously. 

Then  our  side  fired  a  few  random  shots  over  the  heads  of  the 
flying  debtors.    Still  they  paddled  on. 

By  this  time,  however,  it  became  apparent  that  our  boat  was 
the  fastest.    Presently,  indeed,  we  overtook  the  other. 

I  had  been  sitting  quietly  watching  the  fun ;  but  now,  as  we 
hauled  alongside  the  enemy's  boat,  and  I  saw  a  good  deal  of 


54 


A  CHASE  AND  SCUFFLE. 


fierce  blood  up  on  both  sides,  I  began  to  remonstrate.  I  did  not 
wish  to  see  blood  spilt,  nor  did  I  care  to  be  upset  in  the  scuffle ; 
but  my  voice  was  drowned  in  the  uproar.  A  desperate  hand-to- 
hand  fight  began  at  once  as  we  ranged  alongside.  How  we 
escaped  upsetting  I  do  not  yet  understand,  but  I  suppose  these 
fellows  instinctively  poise  themselves  aright.  I  was  wet  through ; 
the  canoe  took  in  water,  and  murder  was  imminent,  when  sud- 
denly the  other  canoe  again  gave  us  the  slip. 

Now  the  chase  began  again.  Again  we  shouted,  and  the  other 
side  paddled  as  for  dear  life ;  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  Presently 
we  again  hauled  alongside,  and  this  time  we  made  fast.  Then 
came  another  fight,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  boatmen,  seeing 
they  were  about  to  be  overpowered,  suddenly  leaped  into  the  wa- 
ter and  swam  off.  Though  we  were  some  miles  from  shore, 
they  had  no  uneasiness  as  to  the  result.  Mbango  caught  two  of 
them,  and  took,  besides,  a  woman  prisoner ;  then  coolly  turned  on 
his  course  again,  saying,  to  me  with  a  smile  that  he  had  done  a 
very  good  day's  work.  He  explained  that  these  people  had  long 
owed  him  a  quantity  of  bar-wood,  for  which  he  had  paid  in  ad- 
vance, and,  now  that  he  had  some  of  the  party  prisoners,  they 
would  soon  settle  up. 

About  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the  Muni  are  Big  and  Little 
Alobi,  two  small  islets.  The  first  has  a  few  native  villages,  ruled 
by  King  Mbapay,  who  this  day  presented  me  with  a  chicken  and 
a  bunch  of  plantains,  on  which  I  made  my  dinner.  In  return  I 
gave  his  negro  majesty  some  heads  of  tobacco. 

Little  Alobi  is  uninhabited,  and  is  used  by  the  whites  as  a  de- 
pot for  bar- wood,  for  which  it  is  convenient,  as  vessels  can  anchor 
close  alongside  the  shore. 

Here  we  remained  over  night,  I  sleeping  ashore,  while  Mban- 
go's  favorite  slave  man  kept  watch  over  the  boat,  Mbango  threat- 
ening to  "sell  him  to  the  white  man's  country"  if  any  thiilg  was 
stolen. 

Next  day  I  had  a  chill,  and  laid  over,  not  caring  to  enter  the 
Muni  but  in  perfect  health.    I  took  the  usual  doses  of  quinine. 

The  following  morning  several  Muni  Eiver  men  came  down 
to  see  me,  having  heard  that  I  was  about  to  go  up  the  river ; 
and  in  the  afternoon  we  sailed  with  a  favoring  tide  for  the  vil- 
lage of  Mbango's  friend,  Dayoko.  We  had  a  fair  wind,  and  the 
boat  fellows  availed  themselves  of  it  to  lie  about  and  do  nothing. 


TRIBUTARIES  OF  THE  MUNI. 


55 


which  they  perfectly  know  how  to  do.  These  canoes  do  not  sail 
on  the  wind  at  all ;  but  before  it,  with  their  sails  of  country-mat- 
ting, they  make  very  good  headway. 

Yesterday  I  measured  our  canoe.  She  is  thirty-five  feet  long, 
three  feet  wide,  and  about  three  and  a  half  feet  deep ;  made,  as 
before  said,  out  of  one  immense  tree.  The  Muni,  the  river  which 
I  was  now  to  ascend,  empties  its  waters  into  the  Bay  of  Corisco, 
in  lat.  1°  2'  N.,  and  long.  9°  33'.  It  is  formed  by  the  confluence 
of  three  other  streams,  the  Ntongo,  a  stream  of  forty  miles  length, 
whose  course  is  S.W.  by  TV". ;  the  Ntambounay,  which  runs  an 
easterly  course  for  thirty  miles,  and  then  turns  to  the  SJW.  for 
forty  miles  more,  when  it  disappears  in  the  mountains ;  and  the 
Noya,  which  runs  from  its  rise  sixty  miles  to  the  northeast,  and 
then  west  for  twenty  miles  more.  The  Ntambounay  and  the  Noya 
have  both  their  sources  in  the  Sierra  del  Crystal.  Their  banks 
are  sparsely  populated  by  various  tribes,  sj)eaking  different  dia- 
lects. 

The  Muni  is,  like  most  of  the  rivers  of  the  coast,  bounded  by 
mangrove  swamps;  but  near  the  mouth,  where  we  sailed  to-day, 
the  highlands  back  were  visible,  and  made  up  quite  a  picturesque 
scene.  The  point  forming  one  side  of  the  bank  at  the  mouth  is 
high  land,  and  on  it  several  Shekiani  villages  are  located,  which 
look  very  pretty  from  the  river. 

As  we  ascended  the  river  the  banks  became  more  swampy ; 
and,  at  the  distance  of  seventeen  miles  from  the  mouth,  we  came 
to  a  beautiful  little  island,  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Ntongo 
with  the  Muni. 

The  Ntongo  flows  from  the  northeast ;  is  a  considerable  stream, 
on  or  near  whose  banks  are  formed  villages  of  the  Ibouay,  Itai- 
mon,  and  Shekiani  tribes.  It  has  probably  a  course  or  length 
of  forty  miles,  and  rises  in  the  hills  which  form,  in  the  interior, 
one  of  the  spurs  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal.  The  chief  product  of 
the  Ntongo  country  is  India-rubber,  of  which,  some  years  ago, 
considerable  quantities  were  brought  down  to  the  coast  by  the 
natives. 

Some  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ntongo,  the  Ndina,  a  creek, 
empties  its  sluggish  waters  into  the  Muni.  The  Ndina  is  but  a 
swampy  creek,  overrun  with  mangrove  jungles,  back  of  which  are 
to  be  found  some  villages,  to  which  the  well-guided  traveler  is  led 
by  native  paths,  which  no  one  but  an  experienced  woodman  would 


56 


LOST  IN  THE  SWAMP. 


perceive.  It  was  the  Ndina  which  we  were  now  to  ascend.  As 
the  tide  was  against  us,  and  was  stronger  than  the  wind,  we  put 
down  our  sail,  which  had  carried  us  along  thus  far,  and  the  crew 
took  to  their  paddles. 

When  we  had  pulled  about  twelve  miles  up  the  creek,  through 
a  continuous  mangrove  swamp,  in  which  the  sluggish  current  of 
the  river  often  lost  itself,  I  saw  that  my  men  began  to  look  uneasy. 
Presently  it  leaked  out  that  they  had  lost  their  reckoning.  They 
had  thought  ere  now  to  have  arrived  at  Dayoko's  village — our 
destination — and  began  to  be  discouraged. 

So  here  was  a  pleasant  prospect  of  passing  the  night  in  the 
swamp,  where  we  were  like  to  be  eaten  up  by  musquitoes,  whose 
buzz  was  already  noisy,  and  whose  sharp  bills  began  to  make 
themselves  felt  thus  early  in  the  afternoon. 

In  the  midst  of  our  perplexity  a  Mbenga  boat  came  down  the 
stream,  and,  on  inquiry,  its  crew  told  us  that  Dayoko's  village  was 
yet  a  considerable  way  off.  They  gave  us,  however,  the  right  di- 
rection— an  important  matter,  as  in  the  approaching  gloom  we 
were  like  to  glide  out  of  the  main  channel  into  some  of  the  numer- 
ous side  "  reaches,"  or  bayous,  which  lead  in  from  the  main  stream. 
Thus  encouraged  the  men  again  took  to  their  paddles,  and,  to 
show  their  joy,  began  to  sing  one  of  their  discordant  chants,  ren- 
dered doubly  discordant  by  the  echoes  of  the  woods. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  very  small  collection  of  huts ;  and  here 
I  asked  a  fellow  standing  on  the  bank  to  guide  us  up  to  Dayoko's. 
He  was  ready  to  do  so,  but  seeing  probably  that  I  was  anxious  to 
get  ahead,  thought  to  make  a  good  bargain  with  me.  Lie  wanted 
two  fathoms  of  cloth,  two  heads  of  tobacco,  and  two  pipes.  This 
was  unreasonable,  and  I  at  once  refused  to  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  him. 

Nothing  gives  these  people  so  poor  an  opinion  of  a  white  man 
as  the  discovery  that  they  can  victimize  him  in  a  bargain;  and 
accordingly  I  was  always  careful  to  let  no  one  get  the  better  of 
me  even  in  trifles.  Fortunately  the  moon  presently  rose,  and  we 
were  enabled  to  thread  our  way  up  the  crooked  creek,  and  found 
by-and-by  the  mouth  of  a  smaller  creek,  at  whose  head  Dayoko 
lives. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  village,  having  traveled 
that  day  about  forty-five  miles. 

"When  we  arrived  the  tide  was  out,  and  I  had,  in  consequence, 


DAYOKO'S  KECEPTION. 


57 


to  wade  through  the  stinking  mud-bank  which  lay  before  and,  to 
some  extent,  defended  the  village.  All  along  the  shores  of  the 
Ndina  are  composed  of  such  mud-banks,  which  at  low  tide  are 
dry,  and  emit  a  most  offensive  smell,  and  doubtless  cause  much 
sickness. 

The  noise  of  our  approach  awakened  the  whole  village,  and  the 
men  came  down  toward  us,  with  their  old  trade  muskets  loaded, 
and  ready  for  a  fight  should  it  prove,  as  often  happens,  a  midnight 
raid  of  the  enemy.  These  people  have  the  luck  of  Cain ;  every 
man's  hand  seems  against  them,  and  their  hand  is  against  every 
man.  They  are  constantly  quarreling,  and  scarce  ever  sleep  with- 
out fear  of  a  hostile  incursion.  The  treacherous  enemy  comes 
down  upon  a  sleeping  village,  and  shoots  the  unsuspecting  inhab- 
itants through  the  chinks  in  their  bamboo  houses,  then  escapes 
under  cover  of  the  darkness.  This  is  the  style  of  warfare  all  over 
this  part  of  Central  Africa,  except,  perhaps,  among  some  of  the 
coast  tribes,  who  have  gained,  in  manliness  at  least,  by  contact 
with  the  whites. 

They  were  greatly  rejoiced  when  they  found  us  to  be  their 
friends  the  Mbinga.  Visions  of  "trade"  began  to  loom  before 
them ;  they  opened  their  arms,  set  up  a  shout  of  gladness,  and 
immediately  conducted  us  in  state  through  the  village  to  the  house 
generally  set  apart  in  every  considerable  negro  town  for  strangers. 

Here  a  great  fire  was  kindled,  and  presently  Dayoko  himself 
came  in,  his  eyes  not  half  opened,  for  he  had  but  just  waked  up. 
Then  came  all  his  wives  to  see  the  white  man,  whose  presence 
was  already  known,  and  pretty  soon  the  house  was  filled  and  sur- 
rounded by  most  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  village. 

Then  began  the  "salutation" — a  tedious  formality  among  the 
African  tribes  which  our  American  people  seem  to  copy  in  their 
"public  receptions"  of  distinguished  or  notorious  men.  AH  the 
chief  men  of  Dayoko,  together  with  himself  and  his  wives,  sat 
round  the  fire,  and,  when  all  was  hushed,  Afbango,  our  head-man, 
began  his  oration.  In  this  it  is  required  that  every  most  minute 
adventure  and  incident  of  the  voyage  up  river  shall  be  alluded 
to,  and  thus  a  catalogue  made  of  every  thing  that  has  happened 
"  from  port  to  port."  The  speaker  delivers  himself  in  short  sen- 
tences, each  containing  one  of  the  many  hundred  memorable  facts 
of  the  day's  journey.  All  sit  round  silent  and  open-mouthed, 
and  at  intervals  the  chief  men  give  little  grunts  of  approbation. 


58 


AN  ORATION  BEFORE  SUPPER. 


At  last  all  was  told,  and,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  Mbango  sat 
down. 

Immediately  all  ceremony  was  dropped ;  every  man  carried  off' 
his  friend  to  have  a  talk  about  trade,  night  seeming  no  objection, 
and  the  women  began  to  prepare  some  food,  of  which  I  stood  m 
much  need. 

About  twelve  o'clock  (midnight)  supper  was  ready,  and  I  sat 
down  before  an  immense  basket  of  boiled  plantains  and  a  few 
boiled  fish,  and  made  a  very  hearty  meal.  And,  this  done,  I  was 
shown  to  my  place  in  the  house  assigned  me  for  sleeping,  when  I 
was  glad  enough  to  wrap  myself  in  my  musquito-nettiug  and  sleep 
till  daybreak. 


AFRICAN  ROYALTY. 


59 


CHAPTER  V. 

Dayoko. — African  Royalty. — Foreign  Relations  and  Diplomacy  in  the  Interior. — 
The  Value  of  a  Wife. — Negotiations. — The  dry  Season. — The  Mbousha  Tribe. — 
A  Wizard. — A  fetich  Trial  and  a  Murder. — Progress. — Excitement  of  the  She- 
kianis  at  my  supposed  Wealth. — The  Ntambounay. — The  Sierra  del  Crystal. — 
Lost  again. — Approaches  of  interior  Village. — Agricultural  Operations. — Fam- 
ine. 

My  first  business  on  the  following  day  was  to  talk  to  Dayoko 
about  my  expedition  into  the  interior ;  in  fact,  to  ask  his  permis- 
sion to  go,  and  to  obtain  from  him  an  escort. 

A  stranger  going  into  an  African  village  and  seeing  the  chief 
or  king  living  in  a  manner  as  simple  and  as  needy  as  any  of  his 
subjects — in  fact,  in  no  way  conspicuous  above  the  herd  of  blacks, 
and  receiving  even  but  little  of  the  respect  or  precedence  which 
is  usually  accorded  to  the  most  shadowy  monarchs,  would  little 
expect  that  such  a  king  possessed  great  authority  in  his  own 
tribe,  and  wields  great  influence  among  his  neighbors.  Dayoko, 
for  instance,  was  chiefly  remarkable  as  the  oldest  living  man  in 
his  village.  He  was  a  trader  like  the  rest,  a  beggar  like  the  rest, 
and  was  very  glad  to  accept  from  me  a  propitiatory  offering  of  an 
old  dress-coat  which,  having  done  duty  for  a  whole  winter  in 
New  York,  had  been  put  away,  with  other  cast-off  garments,  for 
this  very  purpose.  So  far  Dayoko,  when  placed  in  contact  with 
civilization. 

But  Dayoko  is  the  oldest  and  most  influential  chief  among  the 
Mbousha  tribe.  His  age  gives  him  great  authority  among  his 
own  people,  and  a  judicious  culture  of  the  marriage  relation  has 
given  the  shrewd  old  fox  no  end  of  fathers-in-law  in  every  tribe 
within  a  hundred  miles.  Now  to  have  a  father-in-law  in  Africa 
means  to  have  a  friend  in  need,  a  man  to  whom  you  can  confi- 
dently send  a  bit  of  ivory  or  bar-wood  to  sell,  and  whom  you  call 
on  in  any  emergency  where  he  can  help  you.  In  fact,  the  more 
wives  a  man  has  the  more  power  he  gains  in  this  way,  and  wom- 
en are  chiefly  valuable  because  by  their  means  amicable  and 
commercial  relations  are  cultivated  and  subsist  between  the  tribes. 


60 


THE  MARRIAGE  RELATION. 


Dayoko  was  quite  old.  Lie  had  begun  to  marry  when  quite 
young,  had  married,  right  and  left,  all  about  him  ever  since,  and 
was  now  related  to  one  or  two  great  men  in  every  tribe  which  he 
could  by  any  means  reach.  Thus  he  promised  to  prove  a  most 
useful  man  to  me. 

Though  Dayoko's  palace  was  no  bigger  than  the  hut  of  any  of 
his  well-to-do  subjects,  I  found,  as  was  to  be  expected,  that  he  had 
more  wives  and  more  slaves  than  the  others.  And  I  found,  too, 
that  his  voice  in  the  councils  was  of  great  weight,  and  that,  in 
certain  cases,  he  possessed  a  veto  power  which  rendered  him  su- 
preme. I  felt,  therefore,  that  if  I  could  gain  over  the  king  to  m}' 
project  I  need  not  care  for  the  people,  or  even  for  the  chiefs  who 
were  his  relatives,  farther  up  the  river. 

My  first  aim  was  to  convince  every  body  that  I  did  not  want 
to  trade.  This,  thanks  to  my  previous  hunts  on  other  branches 
of  the  Muni,  and  to  my  never  having  traded  or  shown  a  desire  to 
make  money,  was  not  so  difficult  to  do.  I  was  already  known  as 
a  great  hunter. 

Having  established  this  point,  I  called  Dayoko  into  my  house 
and  gave  him  the  present  with  which  a  negotiation  is  generally 
opened.  I  gave  him  the  coat  before  mentioned,  about  twenty 
yards  of  cotton  cloth,  some  powder,  some  looking-glasses  for  his 
wives,  and  some  gun-flints. 

LTis  majesty  accepted  graciously  all  my  offering. 

Then  I  spoke  of  going  into  the  Fan  country. 

Dayoko  thought  my  project  impossible. 

I  would  die  on  the  way,  and  he  should  have  my  death  on  his 
soul — a  consideration  which  seemed  to  affect  him  greatly. 

I  should  be  murdered  by  the  cannibals  and  eaten. 

There  was  war  on  the  river,  and  the  tribes  would  not  let  me 
pass. 

The  country  was  sick. 
And  so  on. 

Seeing  that  I  exhibited  no  signs  of  repentance,  the  old  sinner 
turned  on  a  new  tack.  His  country  was  full  of  beasts  and  birds. 
Why  not  hunt  here  ?  and  he  would  give  me  as  many  men  as  I 
wanted. 

Finally,  I  told  him,  with  a  great  show  of  firmness,  that  go  I 
would,  if  not  with  his  people,  then  with  some  one  else. 

Hereupon  he  relented,  fearing  probably  that  I  would  leave  him, 


NATIVE  CURIOSITY. 


61 


and  that  thus  he  should  not  make  so  much  out  of  me  as  he  cal- 
culated. 

It  is  as  well  to  add  that  I  did  not  let  any  of  his  fellows  peep  into 
my  chest.  They  are  all  greedy,  and  think  that  every  white  man 
is  by  nature  a  Croesus,  and  owner  of  an  untold  wealth  of  cloth, 
looking-glasses,  gun-flints,  powder,  and  tobacco.  And  besides, 
their  fear  of  some  white  man  beginning  a  direct  trade  with  the 
interior  tribes  makes  them  excessively  jealous  of  every  one  who 
attempts  to  reach  the  interior.  Dayoko's  people  did  not  cease  to 
warn  me  that  I  must  carry  nothing  into  the  up-country,  to  all 
which,  of  course,  I  said  yes. 

It  was  at  last  determined  that  I  should  go  under  Dayoko's  pro- 
tection. So  on  the  third  day  after  my  arrival  I  sent  my  Mbinga 
men  back,  and  was  now  left  alone  among  my  new  friends.  I  am 
to  wait  for  a  party  going  to  Mbene's  people,  who  live  farther  up 
river,  and  in  whose  charge  Dayoko  proposes  to  put  me.  If  they 
do  not  come,  I  shall  get  an  escort  of  his  Mbousha  men. 

Meantime  numbers  of  the  neighboring  tribes  come  daily  to 
see  me.  Most  of  these  have  never  seen  a  white  man  before,  and 
are  filled  with  astonishment  at  my  long  hair,  at  my  white  skin — 
it  is  really  tanned  a  very  dark  brown  by  this  time — and  at  the 
clothes  I  wear.  They  stand  about  me  in  such  crowds  that  often 
I  am  half  suffocated  with  the  stench  which  their  uncleanly  bodies 
give  out. 

While  waiting,  I  amused  myself  with  hunting.  The  country 
about  here  affords  to  the  naturalist  little  but  birds ;  but  some  of 
these  are  splendid.  To-day  (August  16th)  I  shot  a  superba,  a 
bird  well  named,  for  its  feathers  of  green  and  gold  and  bright 
purple  are  a  superb  sight  as  it  flies  about  through  the  dark -green 
foliage  of  the  woods. 

I  have  still  to  wait  for  the  people  Dayoko  promises.  This  will 
make  some  detention,  as  they  are  here  on  agricultural  intents, 
and  the  men  are  out  all  clay  cutting  trees,  and  the  women  clean- 
ing the  ground ;  every  thing  is  busy  bustle.  This  is  the  dry  sea- 
son, and  now  all  planting  must  be  done,  for  in  a  few  weeks  the 
rains  come  on,  and  then  it  is  too  late. 

The  dry  season  is  delightful  in  Africa.  It  is  the  season  of 
flowers,  of  humming-birds — who  flit  through  bushes  at  all  hours, 
and  charm  one  with  their  meteor-like  flight — of  every  thing 
pleasant. 


62 


A  MBOUSHA  WIZARD. 


These  Mbousha  people  look  very  much  like  the  Shekiani 
tribe.  They  have  the  usual  negro  features,  and  are  of  medium 
height.  They  are  less  warlike  than  the  Shekianis,  but  quite  as 
superstitious  and  cruel,  as  I  had  occasion  to  know.  I  heard  one 
day,  by  accident,  that  a  man  had  been  apprehended  on  a  charge 
of  causing  the  death  of  one  of  the  chief  men  of  the  village.  I 
went  to  Dayoko  and  asked  about  it.  He  said  yes,  the  man  was 
to  be  killed ;  that  he  was  a  notorious  wizard,  and  had  done  much 
harm. 

So  I  asked  to  see  this  terrible  being. 

I  was  taken  to  a  rough  hut,  within  which  sat  an  old,  old  man, 
with  wool  white  as  snow,  wrinkled  face,  bowed  form,  and  shrunk- 
en limbs.  His  hands  were  tied  behind  him,  and  his  feet  were 
placed  in  a  rude  kind  of  stocks.  This  was  the  great  wizard. 
Several  lazy  negroes  stood  guard  over  him,  and  from  time  to  time 
insulted  him  with  opprobrious  epithets  and  blows,  to  which  the 
poor  old  wretch  submitted  in  silence.  He  was  evidently  in  his 
dotage. 

I  asked  him  if  he  had  no  friends,  no  relations,  no  son,  or  daugh- 
ter, or  wife  to  take  care  of  him.    He  said  sadly,  "  No  one." 

Now  here  was  the  secret  of  this  persecution.  They  were  tired 
of  taking  care  of  the  helpless  old  man,  who  had  lived  too  long, 
and  a  charge  of  witchcraft  by  the  greegree  man  was  a  convenient 
pretext  for  putting  him  out  of  the  way.  I  saw  at  once  that  it 
would  be  vain  to  try  to  save  him. 

I  went,  however,  to  Dayoko,  and  argued  the  case  with  him.  I 
tried  to  explain  the  absurdity  of  charging  a  harmless  old  man  with 
supernatural  powers ;  told  him  that  God  did  not  permit  witches 
to  exist ;  and  finally  made  an  offer  to  buy  the  old  wretch,  offer- 
ing to  give  some  pounds  of  tobacco,  one  or  two  coats,  and  some 
looking-glasses  for  him — goods  which  would  have  bought  me  an 
able-bodied  slave. 

Dayoko  replied  that,  for  his  part  he  would  be  glad  to  save  him. 
but  that  the  people  must  decide;  that  these  were  much  excited 
against  him ;  but  that  he  would,  to  please  me,  try  to  save  his  life. 

During  the  night  following  I  heard  singing  all  over  the  town 
all  night,  and  a  great  uproar.  Evidently  they  were  preparing 
themselves  for  the  murder.  Even  these  savages  can  not  kill  in 
cold  blood,  but  work  themselves  into  a  phrensy  of  excitement 
first,  and  then  rush  off  to  do  the  bloody  deed. 


AN  EXECUTION. 


63 


Early  in  the  morning  the  people  gathered  together,  with  the 
fetich-man — the  infernal  rascal  who  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  mur- 
der— in  their  midst.  His  bloodshot  eyes  glared  in  savage  excite- 
ment as  he  went  around  from  man  to  man  getting  the  votes  to 
decide  whether  the  old  man  should  die. 

In  his  hands  he  held  a  bundle  of  herbs,  with  which  he  sprin- 
kled three  times  those  to  whom  he  spoke.  Meantime  a  man  was 
stationed  on  the  top  of  a  high  tree,  whence  he  shouted  from  time 
to  time,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Jocou  I  jocou!"  at  the  same  time  shak- 
ing the  tree  strongly. 

"Jocou"  is  devil  among  the  Mbousha,  and  the  business  of  this 
man  was  to  keep  away  the  evil  spirit,  and  to  give  notice  to  the 
fetich-man  of  his  approach. 

At  last  the  sad  vote  was  taken.  It  was  declared  that  the  old 
man  was  a  most  malignant  wizard ;  that  he  had  already  killed  a 
number  of  people ;  that  he  was  minded  to  kill  many  more,  and 
that  he  must  die.  No  one  would  tell  me  how  he  was  to  be  killed, 
and  they  proposed  to  defer  the  execution  till  my  departure,  which 
I  was,  to  tell  the  truth,  rather  glad  of.  The  whole  scene  had  con- 
siderably agitated  me,  and  I  was  willing  to  be  spared  the  end. 
Tired  and  sick  at  heart,  I  lay  down  on  my  bed  about  noon  to 
rest  and  compose  my  spirits  a  little.  After  a  while  I  saw  a  man 
pass  my  window,  almost  like  a  flash,  and  after  him  a  horde  of  si- 
lent but  infuriated  men.    They  ran  toward  the  river. 

Then,  in  a  little  while,  I  heard  a  couple  of  sharp,  piercing  cries, 
as  of  a  man  in  great  agony,  and  then  all  was  still  as  death. 

I  got  up,  guessing  the  rascals  had  killed  the  poor  old  man,  and 
turning  my  steps  toward  the  river,  was  met  by  the  crowd  return- 
ing, every  man  armed  with  axe,  knife,  cutlass,  or  spear,  and  these 
weapons  and  their  own  hands,  and  arms,  and  bodies,  all  sprinkled 
with  the  blood  of  their  victim.  In  their  phrensy  they  had  tied 
the  poor  wizard  to  a  log  near  the  river  bank,  and  then  deliber- 
ately hacked  him  into  many  pieces.  They  finished  by  splitting- 
open  his  skull  and  scattering  the  brains  in  the  water.  Then  they 
returned,  and  to  see  their  behavior,  it  would  have  seemed  as 
though  the  country  had  just  been  delivered  from  a  great  curse. 

By  night  the  men — whose  faces  for  two  days  had  filled  me  with 
loathing  and  horror,  so  blood-thirsty  and  malignant  were  they — 
were  again  as  mild  as  lambs,  and  as  cheerful  as  though  they  had 
never  heard  of  a  witch  tragedy. 


64 


AFRICAN  FONDNESS  FOR  FIRE. 


These  tribes  suppose  that  no  cruelty  is  too  great  to  practice 
upon  a  wizard ;  and  this  kind  of  legalized  murder,  though  it  tem- 
porarily excites  their  passions,  does  not  seem  to  afflict  them  with 
any  remorseful  feelings  at  all. 

I  was  glad  to  take  refuge  in  the  woods  during  the"  heats  of 
the  day,  my  house,  an  eight  by  ten  bamboo  structure,  low-roofed 
and  close,  being  uncomfortably  heated.  Yet  the  natives  pass 
their  idle  hours  near  a  large  fire,  and  this  from  a  desire  for 
warmth,  though  the  thermometer  stands  at  88°.  It  is  curious  to 
see  how  the  negro  relishes  a  fire.  I  have  nowhere  found  them 
assembled,  even  in  the  hottest  days,  but  about  a  great  blaze ;  and 
the  first  thing  done,  when  a  council  or  assemblage  of  any  kind  is 
to  be  held,  is  to  build  a  fire  that  would  seem  to  be  sufficient  to 
thaw  out  the  north  pole. 

August  17th  being  Sunday,  I  spent  the  day  in  my  hut  reading 
the  Bible,  to  the  great  surprise  of  two  fellows  who  were  "  town- 
keepers,"  the  rest  of  the  village  having  gone  out  to  the  fields  to 
labor.  I  tried  to  explain  to  them  that  this  was  a  book  given  to 
us  by  the  true  God,  and  that  there  was  but  one  God. 

They  gave  me  the  answer  I  have  heard  so  often  on  the  coast, 
"Oh  yes,  that  is  true  for  you,  but  white  man's  God  is  not  our 
God ;  we  are  made  by  a  different  God."  And  to  this  they  stick 
pertinaciously. 

The  following  day  (18th)  we  were  to  start  for  the  interior. 
Dayoko  gave  me  two  of  his  sons  to  be  of  my  party — a  piece  of 
real  good  luck  for  me.  Also  he  sent  messages  to  all  the  neigh- 
boring tribes  to  command  good  treatment  for  me. 

The  men  asked  to  be  paid  before  we  started — a  dangerous  prac- 
tice, as  they  are  like  to  run  away.  But  as  they  were  Dayoko's 
men,  and  he  had  treated  me  well,  I  thought  best  to  agree.  They 
are  real  extortioners.  I  had  to  pay  for  canoes,  for  mat  sails,  for 
paddles,  for  every  least  thing  necessary  for  the  outfit ;  and  every 
fathom  of  cloth  or  string  of  beads  that  could  be  got  from  me  on 
any  pretext  I  'was  relieved  of.  1  finally  agreed  to  give  to  each 
man  ten  yards  of  cloth  and  a  few  leaves  of  tobacco.  With  this 
they  were  content.  Then,  to  make  them  happier,  I  went  to  their 
wives,  who  had  all  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  gave  each  some  to- 
bacco to  solace  her  in  her  husband's  absence. 

At  last,  and  just  before  we  were  to  start,  when  all  was  readv 
and  the  men  were  gathered,  I  had  again  to  assure  Dayoko  that  I 


r 


ON  THE  NTAMBOUNAY.  65 

did  not  at  all  intend  to  trade,  but  only  to  hunt  for  the  gorilla,  and 
visit  the  mountains  and  their  inhabitants.  Happily,  my  person 
and  pursuits  are  well  known  to  all  the  tribes,  who  have  given  me 
the  name  of  "Mona  dee  Ckaillee,"  meaning  "the  child  of  Chail- 
lee,"  remembering  me  as  my  father's  son. 

So  at  last  we  were  off.  My  party  consisted  of  two  sons  of 
Dayoko,  myself,  and  several  men  to  carry  my  chests  and  guns. 
Mbene,  the  Mbondemo  chief,  for  whose  place  we  are  bound,  is  to 
take  me  into  the  heart  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal,  and  then  "per- 
haps we  shall  cross  over  beyond,"  I  note  in  my  journal,  for  I  de- 
sire and  hope  to  reach  the  sources  of  the  Congo  by  this  route. 

We  started  in  canoes,  and  paddled  up  a  creek  which  led  into 
the  Muni  about  ten  miles  above  the  Ndina's  mouth.  It  was  a 
most  intricate  piece  of  navigation,  through  mangrove  swamps, 
which  sometimes  almost  barred  the  way  even  to  our  little  canoes ; 
sometimes  with  the  current  against,  and  sometimes  for  us,  and 
with  so  many  turns  and  twists  that  I  think  I  should  have  been 
puzzled  to  get  back  alone. 

When,  at  last,  we  reached  the  Muni,  the  tide  was  setting  down 
so  strongly  that  we  were  two  and  a  half  hours  paddling  about 
four  miles.  After  a  stop  at  a  little  village  situated  two  miles  be- 
low the  point  where  two  rivers — the  Noya  and  the  Ntambounay 
— join  and  form  the  Muni,  we  began  to  ascend  the  Ntambounay. 
We  had  the  tide  with  us ;  for  though  the  water  here  is  fresh,  the 
influence  of  the  tides  is  felt  so  far  back  as  here,  more  especially  in 
the  dry  season,  when  the  stream  is  low  and  the  current  sluggish. 
For  the  first  twenty  miles  we  ascended  the  river  in  an  E.S.E.  di- 
rection. It  continued  wide,  being  at  least  200  yards  across,  all 
the  way,  and  its  banks  formed  a  most  charming  landscape.  The 
course  of  the  stream  was  dotted  and  interrupted  by  many  small 
islands,  whose  shores  were  bordered  with  graceful  palms.  Evi- 
dently we  had  got  out  of  the  dull  and  dreary  region  of  mangrove 
swamps. 

Toward  night  we  reached  a  Shekiani  village,  where  we  had  to 
stop  all  night.  It  was  one  of  the  most  uncomfortable  nights  of 
my  life.  I  never  saw  natives  so  excited  as  were  these  savages  at 
the  appearance  of  my  chests  and  traveling-bag.  Their  cupidity 
was  excited  by  what  they  thought  must  be  fabulous  riches  in  my 
possession,  and  I  was  told  at  once  by  a  head-man  that  I  could  not 
pass  to  the  interior  without  paying  to  this  Shekiani  town  a 

E 


66  EXCITEMENT  OF  THE  NEGROES. 

tribute  of  six  shirts,  100  fathoms  cloth,  three  great-coats,  and  a 
great  quantity  of  looking-glasses,  files,  and  beads.  This  would 
have  entirely  ruined  me,  and  of  course  I  paid  no  attention  to  the 
demand. 

As  the  excitement  seemed  to  grow  the  longer  I  staid,  I  ordered 
my  men  to  lie  in  my  hut,  thinking  that  the  fear  of  killing  mem- 
bers of  a  friendly  tribe  might  deter  them  from  firing  in  upon  me 
during  the  night.  I  certainly  expected  to  be  robbed,  and  had 
only  a  hope  that  the  affair  would  be  no  more  serious.  I  lay 
quietly  down,  with  my  double-barreled  gun  by  my  side,  ready  for 
instant  action,  fully  resolved  to  sell  my  life  at  as  dear  a  rate  as 
possible.  Meantime  Dayoko's  sons  went  out  to  palaver  with  the 
chief. 

I  did  not  sleep  a  wink  all  night.  All  night  the  crowd  sur- 
rounded my  house,  talking,  shouting,  singing,  and  in  the  greatest 
excitement.  At  last,  about  four  o'clock,  things  became  a  httle 
quieter,  and  toward  daylight  those  who  were  not  asleep  were 
still. 

As  early  as  I  could  go  out  I  called  on  the  king,  and  told  him 
that  my  chests  contained  only  powder,  shot,  and  other  heavy 
things  necessary  for  my  journey ;  and  also  I  gave  his  majesty  a 
few  fathoms  of  cloth,  and  distributed  a  few  leaves  of  tobacco 
among  his  big-men ;  at  which  all  were  much  satisfied.  They 
asked  for  rum,  but  that  I  never  give  to  these  'natives,  and  so  re- 
fused, of  course.  Finally  we  left  them,  many  of  the  people  fol- 
lowing us  along  the  river,  and  wishing  us  good  luck  and  speedy 
return.    I  was  happy  enough  to  get  out  of  the  scrape. 

"We  left  our  large  canoe  at  the  Shekiani  village,  and  passed 
up  the  Ntambounay  into  the  Noonday  Eiver,  making  in  this  day, 
Tuesday,  August  19th,  a  toilsome  journey  of  twenty-nine  miles, 
twelve  of  which  were  on  the  Noonday. 

The  Ntambounay  was  ascended  in  a  direction  S.E.  by  E.  till  its 
junction  with  the  Noonday.  Here  it  takes  a  turn  N.  by  E.,  and, 
as  we  did  not  want  to  go  this  way,  we  turned  into  the  Noonday, 
ascending  this  in  a  general  direction  to  the  S.E. 

The  landscape  continued  beautiful  on  the  Ntambounay.  The 
palms  lining  the  river  banks,  and  the  numerous  small  islands 
which  stud  its  smooth  and  glass-like  bosom,  the  occasional  deers 
which  started  away  from  the  water-side  as  our  canoe  swept  into 
sight,  the  shrill  cries  of  various  monkeys  gazing  at  us  in  aston- 


AFRICAN  RIVER  TRAVEL. 


67 


ishment  and  terror,  the  clear  sky  and  the  magnificent  solitude  of 
these  forests  which  surrounded  us,  and  through  whose  trees  we 
saw  only  at  considerable  intervals  the  smoke  curling  up,  which 
announced  a  village  hid  in  the  wilderness :  all  this  was  a  constant 
delight  to  every  sense. 

As  we  were  lazily  sailing  along,  I  espied  two  eagles  sitting  on 
some  high  trees  about  eighty  yards  off.  Willing  to  give  my  fel- 
lows a  taste  of  my  quality  I  called  their  attention  to  the  birds, 
and  then  brought  both  down  with  my  double-barrel.  They  could 
hardly  believe  their  eyes  for  surprise,  such  shooting  being  almost 
miraculous  to  them.  When  they  had  got  a  little  over  their 
astonishment,  I  heard  them  say,  "Ah!  if  he  had  fought  those 
Shekiani  fellows  last  night,  how  many  he  would  have  killed." 

In  the  far  distance  the  ranges  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal  could  be 
seen,  the  second  and  higher  range  rising  above  the  first.  The 
river  we  were  ascending  seemed  to  abound  in  fish,  which  jumped 
frequently  out  of  the  water  in  pursuit  of  their  insect  prey ;  and  the 
bright-blue  king-fishers  shot  across  the  water  hither  and  thither, 
breaking  the  quiet  with  their  shrill  screams. 

As  we  got  higher  up  the  Noonday  the  stream  became  narrow, 
and  finally  almost  dwindled  away.  Part  of  its  course  lay  through 
a  tangled  thicket  or  jungle  of  aloe-trees,  whose  sharp  thorns  tore 
our  clothes,  and  wounded  me  so  that  I  was  covered  with  blood. 
We  had  here  a  fair  sample  of  African  "river"  travel.  The  aloe 
jungle  grew,  in  many  places,  right  into  the  narrow  stream,  and  so 
filled  it  up  that,  had  I  not  seen  it,  I  should  never  have  believed 
that  a  canoe  could  pass  through.  In  several  places  we  had  to  get 
out  and  carry  the  canoe  over  fallen  trees  which  entirely  barred 
our  progress,  and  all  through  it  was  a  battle  with  the  jungle,  and 
a  passage  through  a  swamp  rather  than  fair  navigation.  Yet  this 
is  the  only  highway  of  this  country,  and  the  natives  bring  all  their 
ivory,  ebony,  and  India-rubber  to  the  coast  over  just  such  diffi- 
cult roads  as  this ;  for  even  this  is  better  than  traveling  through 
the  almost  impenetrable  jungle  on  foot,  in  which  case  their  poor 
women  have  to  bear  the  heavy  loads  on  their  shoulders. 

Dark  came  on  before  we  had  reached  Mbene's  town,  which  was 
the  nearest  settlement,  and  I  had  the  ugly  prospect  before  me  of 
passing  the  night  in  this  deadly  swamp.  Fortunately  I  had  fall- 
en in,  at  the  Shekiani  town,  with  a  son  of  King  Mbene ;  and 
this  good  fellow,  now.  seeing  -my  men  wearied  out  and  unable  to 


68 


VILLAGE  DEFENSES. 


go  farther,  volunteered  to  hurry  on  to  his  father's  town  and  bring 
assistance.    How  far  it  was  we  knew  not ;  but  he  went  off. 

We  waited  an  hour,  but  no  help  arrived.  Then  I  sent  out  two 
of  my  men  to  meet  the  party  and  hurry  them  on.  Two  hours 
more  passed,  and  I  had  begun  to  despair  of  help,  when  loud 
shouts  ringing  through  the  woods  gave  us  notice  of  the  approach 
of  our  friends;  and  presently  rushed  in  among  us  King  Mbene 
himself,  his  face  radiant  with  smiles,  and  shouting  a  welcome  to 
me.  He  was  followed  by  a  large  party  of  men  and  women,  who 
took  up  my  boxes  and  other  things ;  Mbene  took  one  of  my 
guns,  and  thus  relieved,  we  hurried  on  to  the  town  or  encamp- 
ment of  my  royal  friend,  which  proved  to  be  about  six  miles  off. 

The  people  had  been  here  so  little  time  that  they  had  not  had 
time  to  cut  a  road  to  the  river,  so  that  the  few  miles  we  traversed 
from  the  river-side  were  of  the  roughest.  Happily,  elephants  are 
plenty  hereabouts,  and  when  we  could  we  walked  in  their  huge 
tracks — the  rushing  of  a  herd  effecting  quite  a  clearing  in  the 
woods,  though  every  thing  grows  up  again  with  marvelous  ra- 
pidity. 

I  thought  to  come  to  a  town.  My  astonishment  was  great 
when  I  found,  instead  of  the  usual  plantations  of  plantain-trees 
which  surround  the  collection  of  huts  which  make  up  an  African 
village,  an  immense  mass  of  timber  thrown  down  helter-skelter, 
as  though  a  hurricane  had  passed  through  this  part  of  the  forest. 
It  appeared  that  Mbene's  people  had  their  village  at  some  dis- 
tance off,  but  came  here  to  make  new  plantations,  and  this  was 
their  way  of  making  a  clearing.  It  is  the  usual  way  among  these 
tribes.  The  men  go  into  the  forest  and  choose  a  site  for  the  plant- 
ation ;  then  cut  down  the  trees  in  any  way,  just  as  luck  or  fancy 
may  direct ;  let  every  thing  lie  till  the  dry  season  has  sufficiently 
seasoned  the  great  trees,  when  they  set  fire  to  the  whole  mass, 
burn  it  up,  and  on  its  site  the  women  now  plant  their  manioc, 
maize,  and  plantains. 

It  was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  with  many  tears 
from  thorns  and  trips  from  interposing  boughs,  that  I  got  through 
this  barrier,  than  which  they  could  not  have  made  a  better  wall 
of  defense  for  their  village.  For  once  get  an  enemy  entangled  in 
such  a  piece  of  ground,  and  they  could  pepper  him  at  their  con- 
venience, without  fear  of  retaliation. 

At  last,  when  my  patience  was  entirely  gone,  and  my  few 


MBENE' S  VILLAGE. 


69 


clothes  were  literally  hanging  in  ribbons  about  me,  we  arrived  at 
the  camp.  Here  we  were  received  in  grand  African  style.  Guns 
were  fired,  the  people  shouted  and  danced,  every  body  was  as 
jolly  as  though  every  body's  brother  had  just  come  back  rich, 
and  I  was  immediately  installed  under  a  shed,  whither  the  king 
graciously  followed  me  with  a  present — very  welcome  indeed — of 
a  goat  and  some  bunches  of  plantains. 

The  plantain  is  the  bread  of  all  these  tribes.  Lucky  would 
they  be  if  they  always  had  such  bread  to  eat.  It  will  be  seen 
farther  on  how  frequently  their  thriftless  habits  leave  them  with- 
out even  the  easily  cultivated  plantain,  and  force  them  to  eke  out 
a  wretched  subsistence  of  the  wild  roots  which  are  found  in  the 
forests. 

I  had  seen  Mbene  before,  and  several  of  his  people  recognized 
me,  having  seen  me  when,  some  years  ago,  I  attempted  an  explo- 
ration of  this  region  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mackey. 
These  good  fellows  now  manifested  extraordinary  joy,  and  wel- 
comed me  to  their  town  with  all  sorts  of  dances  and  songs,  and 
offers  of  services. 

Mbene's  village  or  encampment  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
first  granite  range  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal.  The  forest-clad  hill- 
sides were  visible  in  the  distance,  and  were  to  me  a  delightful 
spectacle,  for  I  saw  that  I  was  now  approaching  the  goal  of  my 
desires.  The  people  had  not  as  yet  built  themselves  houses,  but 
were  living  in  camp,  under  rude  sheds  composed  of  leaves  spread 
thickly  over  four  forked  sticks  planted  in  the  ground.  Here 
each  head  of  a  family  gathered  his  wives,  children,  and  slaves 
about  him,  and  rested  in  safety  and  peace.  One  of  the  best  con- 
structed of  these  sheds — one  whose  sticks  stood  upright,  and 
whose  leafy  roof  was  water-tight — was  given  me,  and  here  I  pres- 
ently fell  soundly  asleep,  after  first  placing  my  two  chests  near 
my  head. 

On  rising  the  next  morning,  I  found  that  we  were  really  not 
more  than  ten  or  fifteen  miles  from  the  hills.  Yesterday  evening 
we  could  see  two  ranges ;  the  lower  and  nearer  500  or  600  feet 
high,  and  the  farther  and  higher  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet 
high.  It  is  among  these  hills  that  the  Fans — the  cannibal  tribe 
— live,  and  the  gorilla  has  here  also  his  home. 

Mbene  excused  himself  for  what  he  thought  a  shabby  reception 
of  me.    He  said  that  his  people  had  but  just  come  here ;  that  the 


70 


AGRICULTURAL  OPERATIONS. 


men  had  been  busy  all  the  dry  season  cutting  down  trees  and 
clearing  the  woods,  so  that  in  the  wet  season  the  women  might 
plant  their  manioc,  plantains,  etc.  The  clearing  of  ground  is  the 
men's  work  among  these  people.  The  women  have  the  sole  care 
of  the  planting.  He  said  that  they  had  had  very  little  to  eat ; 
had  been  obliged  to  beg  food  of  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  half 
the  time  had  nothing  to  eat  but  the  nut  of  a  kind  of  palm,  of 
which  they  also  make  a  kind  of  wine.  This  nut  is  very  bitter ; 
I  could  never  eat  it.  It  is  shaped  like  an  egg,  with  rounded  ends. 
To  prepare  it  it  is  divested  of  its  husk  and  soaked  in  water  for 
twenty-four  hours,  when  it  loses  in  part  its  exceedingly  bitter  taste, 
and  becomes  tolerably  palatable  to  a  hungry  man.  Sometimes 
hunger  presses  them  to  eat  the  nut  without  soaking  it — I  have 
been  compelled  to  do  so — and  it  is  then  excessively  disagreeable. 

I  saw  at  once  that  it  would  not  do  for  me  to  stay  long  with 
Mbene,  for  I  could  not  live  as  these  people  do ;  and  of  my  own 
stores,  though  I  had  a  few  crackers  and  sea-biscuit  left,  these 
would  not  last  long,  and  ought  to  be  kept  for  possible  sickness. 

The  negro  tribes  of  this  region  are  half  the  time  in  a  state  of 
starvation  by  their  utter  improvidence.  They  seem  unable  to 
cope  with  want,  even  with  so  fertile  a  country  as  theirs  to  help 
them.  Such  encampments  as  this  of  Mbene's  are  common  among 
all  the  tribes.  Their  agricultural  operations  are  of  the  rudest 
kind,  and,  from  the  necessity  of  seeking  out  the  most  fertile  soil 
as  well  as  from  general  habit,  they  prefer  to  go  to  a  distance  from 
their  villages  to  clear  and  plant  the  ground.  They  never  plant 
two  successive  years  in  the  same  place,  and  have,  therefore,  much 
labor  in  clearing  the  ground  every  time.  And,  after  all,  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  a  village  to  lose  all  the  fruits  of  its  labors  by  the 
incursions  of  a  herd  of  elephants,  who  trample  down  what  they 
do  not  eat  up.    This  happens  especially  to  plantain  plantations. 

The  encampment  is  called  an  olako,  this  word  signifying  also  a 
new  site  for  a  village  or  any  place  of  temporary  sojourn.  An 
olako  is  a  romantic  scene  to  look  at,  particularly  in  the  night,  when 
every  family  has  its  fire,  near  which  its  beds  are  made  under  the 
shades  before  described.  But  hunger  spoils  the  prettiest  romance ; 
and  I  would  have  given  up  the  camp  willingly  for  a  good  roast 
fowl  or  a  sufficient  supply  of  bread. 

I  told  Mbene  that  as  his  place  had  no  food  to  offer  I  must  go 
farther ;  explained  to  him  my  objects ;  and  finally  it  was  agreed 


OFFEK  OF  A  WIFE. 


71 


that  his  brother  Ncomo  should  accompany  me  with  a  party  as  far 
as  the  Fan  tribe.  So  much  was  settled  without  difficulty ;  but 
still  several  weeks  passed  ere  my  company  was  ready  to  start. 
Meantime  I  made  myself  as  comfortable  as  possible  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. The  king's  wives  supplied  me  with  mats  for  my  bed, 
and  under  these  I  put  dry  leaves  enough  to  make  a  soft  couch. 
On  each  side  of  the  bed  I  built  a  fire  to  keep  off  the  musquitoes, 
which  were  very  troublesome,  and  thus  I  tried  to  sleep  at  night. 
My  weary  days  were  spent  in  hunting. 

I  ought  to  add  that,  with  usual  African  hospitality,  my  kingly 
friend  offered  me  a  wife  on  my  arrival  at  his  place.  This  is  the 
common  custom  when  the  negroes  wish  to  pay  respect  to  their 
guests,  and  they  can  not  understand  why  white  men  should  de- 
cline what  they  consider  a  mere  matter  of  course.  I  endeavored 
to  explain  to  Mbene  and  his  wives  what  our  own  customs  were 
in  regard  to  marriage ;  but  neither  men  nor  women  seemed  to 
understand  or  appreciate  the  Christian  idea  of  marriage. 

The  musquitoes  penetrated  through  the  smoke  of  my  fires,  and 
bit  me  so  that  I  could  scarce  sleep  on  the  first  night  after  my  ar- 
rival, and,  to  make  matters  yet  more  unpleasant,  the  rain  poured 
on  me  through  a  leaky  place  in  my  leafy  shelter,  so  that  I  arose 
next  morning  wet,  sore,  hungry,  but  withal  feeling  unusually 
well. 

I  went  to  make  arrangements  with  Ncomo  for  an  early  start. 
Found  that  his  women  had  gone  out  to  beg  food  for  their  trip. 
Mbene  gave  me  a  chicken  for  my  dinner — an  unusual  luxury. 
But  I  had  to  shoot  my  fowl  before  eating  it.  The  natives'  build 
no  perches  for  their  poultry,  and  the  consequence  is  that  the 
chickens  fly  to  roost  in  the  topmost  branches  of  the  trees,  where 
they  are  safe  from  predatory  attacks  of  all  kinds,  either  by  their 
owners  or  by  wild  beasts. 

When  I  declined  Mbene's  offer  of  a  "  wife,"  he  said,  "  Oh  well, 
she  can  at  any  rate  wait  on  you  and  cook  for  you ;"  and  so  I  am 
lucky  enough  to  have  a  good  cook.  The  negroes  use  a  good  deal 
of  pepper  in  their  cooking,  which  I  think  healthy  for  this  climate ; 
otherwise  my  chicken-soup  was  good  enough,  and,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  some  plantain  boiled,  and  some  remains  of  the  goat  which 
had  been  given  to  me  yesterday,  I  made  a  very  good  dinner — 
probably  the  last  I  shall  get  for  a  good  many  days,  unless  we  are 
unusually  lucky  and  kill  some  deer  or  elephant  on  our  road. 


72 


"MBENE'S  WHITE  MAN." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Hold  of  a  Traveler  on  the  Natives.  —  Fruits.  —  The  Mbondemo.  —  Their  Towns. 
— Houses. — Morals  of  War. — Condition  of  Women. — Women  as  Bearers. — The 
Hills. — A  Caravan. — Mutiny. — Rapids  of  the  Ntambounay. — .Summit  of  the  Sier- 
ra.— Contemplations  interrupted  by  a  Serpent. — The  first  Gorilla. — Appearance 
in  Motion. — Famine  in  the  Camp. — Native  Stories  of  the  Gorilla. — Superstitious 
Notions  about  the  Animal. — Lifelessness  of  the  Forest. — A  Bee-hive. 

To-day  (August  20th)  I  sent  back  Dayoko's  men,  and  am  now 
in  Mbene's  power  and  at  his  mercy.  He  is  a  very  good  fellow, 
and  I  feel  myself  quite  safe  among  bis  rough  but  kindly  people. 
I  have  found  it  the  best  way  to  trust  the  people  I  travel  among. 
They  seem  to  take  it  as  a  compliment,  and  they  are  proud  to 
have  a  white  man  among  them.  Even  if  a  chief  were  inclined  to 
murder,  it  would  not  be  profitable  in  such  a  case,  for  the  exhibi- 
tion of  his  white  visitor  among  the  neighboring  tribes  does  more 
to  give  him  respect  and  prestige  than  his  murder  would. 

They  speak  of  me  now  as  "  Mbene's  white  man."  Before  I 
was  "Dayoko's  white  man."  The  title  has  comfort  and  safety  in 
it,  for  it  would  be  a  great  insult  to  Mbene  for  any  stranger  to  mo- 
lest his  white  man,  and  it  is  to  his  own  honor  to  feed  him  as  well 
as  he  can. 

Of  course,  one  must  have  tact  enough  to  satisfy  the  chief  with 
occasional  little  presents,  given  him  generally  in  private  so  that 
his  people  may  not  beg  from  him,  and  given,  also,  not  as  though 
you  wished  to  conciliate — for  it  will  not  do  to  show  any  symp- 
toms of  fear  however  much  cause  there  may  be — but  apparently 
as  friendly  gifts. 

This  is  the  only  safe  way  to  get  ahead  in  this  country,  and  I 
never  found  a  chief  whose  "  white  man"  I  was  for  the  time  but 
would  help  and  further  my  plans  and  journeys. 

Dayoko's  men  are  to  return  to  Mbene's  camp  in  three  months 
to  look  for  me,  and  I  have  to  be  back,  if  possible,  by  that  time. 

The  women  have  brought  in  a  supply  of  the  bitter  palm-seeds 
and  of  other  fruits,  mostly  more  palatable  than  that  bitter  abom- 
ination, but  unfortunately  not  so  plentiful.    Among  these  is  a 


MBONDEMO  SQUATTERS. 


73 


round  nut  the  bigness  of  a  large  walnut,  containing  three  or  four 
oily  kernels,  each  of  the  size  of  a  peanut ;  when  these  were  roast- 
ed they  were  not  disagreeable.  And  there  was  a  remarkably 
magnificent  fruit  which  I  never  saw  before,  resembling  in  general 
shape  a  bunch  of  grapes,  each  grape  olive-shaped,  and  the  whole 
of  a  bright  scarlet  color.  It  was  really  a  splendid  sight  to  see 
these  glowing  bunches  hanging  from  the  trunks  of  the  trees 
which  bear  them.  The  seed  is  larger  than  that  of  the  olive ;  the 
skin  not  so  thick  as  that;  and  the  pulp  is  quite  juicy  and  of  a 
pleasant  flavor. 

The  Ifbondemo  tribe  is  allied  to  the  Mbisho,' MUM,  Mbousha, 
Ibouay,  Acoa,  and  Shekiani  tribes.  The  speech  of  all  these  tribes 
is  nearly  alike.  They  can  all  understand  each  other.  Also  they 
have  the  same  general  customs  and  superstitions,  and  the  same 
nomadic  habits.  The  Mbondemo  live  or  have  their  towns  in  the 
mountains  of  the  interior  cast  of  Cape  Lopez,  and  in  that  tract  of 
country  which  extends  from  north  of  the  Muni  to  the  Moondah 
River. 

Since  I  first  knew  Mbene  he  had  moved  his  village  twice,  his 
present  removal  making  the  third.  I  asked  what  reasons  moved 
him  to  these  changes.  The  first  time,  he  said,  a  man  had  died 
there,  and  the  place  was  "  not  good"  after  that.  The  second  time 
he  was  forced  to  move  because  they  had  cut  down  all  the  palm- 
trees,  and  could  get  no  more  mimbo  (palm  wine),  a  beverage  of 
which  they  are  excessively  fond,  though  they  take  no  pains  to 
preserve  the  trees  out  of  the  soft  tops  of  which  it  is  made.  But 
these  are  very  plentiful  all  over  the  country ;  and  it  seems  eas- 
ier for  them  to  move  than  to  take  care  of  the  trees  surrounding 
their  settlements,  useful  as  they  are  to  them ;  for  they  furnish 
not  only  the  wine  they  love,  but  the  very  bitter  nut  I  mention- 
ed before,  which  often  keeps  them  from  starvation ;  while  of  its 
trunk,  split  up,  they  make  the  sides  of  their  houses.  A  country 
which  has  plenty  of  palm-trees,  plenty  of  game,  a  good  river, 
and  plenty  of  fish,  is  the  ideal  region  of  a  Mbondemo  settler  or 
squatter. 

The  Mbondemo  villages  differ  materially  in  their  arrangements 
from  those  of  the  sea-shore  tribes  I  have  already  described.  The 
houses  are  mostly  of  uniform  size,  generally  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet  long,  and  eight  or  ten  feet  wide.  They  are  built  on  both  sides 
of  a  long  and  tolerably  wide  street,  and  invariably  join  each  other. 


74 


A  MBONDEMO  INTERIOR. 


The  chief's  house  and  the  palaver-house  are  larger  than  the  others. 
The  ends  of  the  street  are  barricaded  with  stout  sticks  or  pali- 
sades, and  at  night  the  doors  or  gates  of  the  village  are  firmly 
closed,  and  persons  approaching,  if  they  can  not  explain  their  in- 
tentions, are  remorselessly  shot  down  or  speared.  The  houses 
have  no  windows,  and  doors  only  on  the  side  toward  the  street ; 
and  when  the  door  of  the  street  is  locked,  the  village  is,  in  fact,  a 
fortress.  As  an  additional  protection,  however,  they  often  cut 
down  thorny  brushwood  and  block  up  the  surrounding  ap- 
proaches ;  and,  also,  they  always  locate  the  village  on  the  top  of 
the  highest  hill  they  can  find  in  the  region  where  for  the  time  be- 
ing they  squat.  All  this  shows — what  is  the  truth — that  they 
are  a  quarrelsome,  though  not  a  brave  race.  They  are  continu- 
ally in  hot-water  with  their  neighbors,  and  never  know  when  they 
are  to  be  attacked. 

Interiorly  the  Mbondemo  house  is  divided  by  a  bark  partition 
into  two  rooms ;  one  the  kitchen,  where  also  every  body  sits  or 
lies  down  on  the  ground  about  the  fire;  the  other  the  sleeping 
apartment.  This  last  is  perfectly  dark ;  and  here  are  stowed  their 
provisions  and  all  their  riches.  To  ascertain  how  large  a  family 
any  Mbondemo  householder  has,  you  have  only  to  count  the  lit- 
tle doors  which  open  into  the  various  sleeping  apartments :  "  So 
many  doors  so  many  wives,"  it  was  explained  to  me.  The  houses 
are  made  of  bark  and  a  kind  of  jointless  bamboo,  which  is  got 
from  the  trunk  of  a  particular  palm.  The  strips  are  tied  to  posts 
set  firmly  into  the  ground,  with  rope  made  from  the  vines  of  the 
forest.  The  roofing  is  made  of  matting.  The  houses  are  neither 
so  large,  so  substantially  built,  nor  so  good-looking  as  those  of  the 
Mpongwe. 

To-day  (21st)  my  men  have  been  getting  ready  their  guns  for 
enemies  or  game.  The  tribes  of  Africa  have  so  many  petty  causes 
of  quarrel,  that  they  are  always  in  danger  of  a  fight.  They  are 
so  bound  together  by  ridiculous  superstitions  of  witchcraft,  and 
by  the  entangling  alliances  of  polygamy,  and  greatly  also  by  their 
want  of  good  faith  in  trade,  that  no  man  can  say  where  or  why  an 
enemy  is  waiting  for  his  life. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  system  of  intermarriages  by  which 
a  chief  gains  in  power  and  friends.  But  there  are  other  means 
of  securing  allies.  For  instance,  two  tribes  are  anxious  for  a  fight, 
but  one  needs  more  force.    This  weakling  sends  one  of  its  men 


THE  WOMAN'S  QUESTION. 


75 


secretly  to  kill  a  man  or  woman  of  some  village  living  near,  but 
having  no  share  in  the  quarrel.  The  consequence  is,  not,  as 
would  seem  most  reasonable,  that  this  last  village  takes  its  re- 
venge on  the  murderer,  but,  strangely  enough,  that  the  murder- 
er's people  give  them  to  understand  that  this  is  done  because  an- 
other tribe  has  insulted  them,  whereupon,  according  to  African  cus- 
tom, the  two  villages  join,  and  together  march  upon  the  enemy. 
In  effect,  to  gain  a  village  to  a  certain  side  in  a  quarrel,  that  side 
murders  one  of  its  men  or  women,  with  a  purpose  of  retaliation 
on  somebody  else. 

Their  women  they  keep  only  to  minister  to  their  pride,  influ- 
ence, pleasure,  and  sloth.  A  man  pays  goods  or  slaves  for  his 
wife,  and  regards  her  therefore  as  a  piece  of  merchandise.  Young 
girls — even  children  in  arms — are  married  to  old  men  for  political 
effect.  The  idea  of  love,  as  we  understand  it,  seems  unknown 
to  these  people.  On  the  sea-shore  a  man  will  hire  you  his  moth- 
er, wife,  or  sister  for  the  vilest  uses,  and  the  women  are  never 
averse  if  they  can  only  obtain  the  wages  of  prostitution.  And  I 
will  add  that  the  whites  who  come  to  the  coast,  sailors  and  others, 
do  more  to  debauch  and  demoralize  these  poor,  ignorant  natives 
than  even  their  own  ignorance  and  brutality  would  do. 

Adultery  with  a  black  man  is  a  punishable  fine  among  all  the 
tribes,  and  this  law,  which  is  strictly  executed,  is  the  cause  of  a 
most  singular  state  of  things.  Husband  and  wife  combine  to  rob 
some  fellow  with  whom  the  woman  pretends  to  carry  on  an  in- 
trigue, making  sure  of  being  discovered  by  the  husband,  who 
thereupon  obtains  a  recompense  sufficient  to  heal  his  wounded 
honor,  and  for  him  and  his  wife  and  accomplice  to  live  upon  for 
some  time.  In  short,  it  is  the  original  of  the  "  panel"  game  of 
New  York. 

Unlawful  intercourse  with  the  women  of  a  neighboring  tribe  or 
village  is  the  cause  of  nearly  all  the  "palavers,"  and  wars,  and 
fights  in  Africa.  If  a  tribe  wants  to  fight,  they  make  this  the 
cause  by  getting  one  of  their  women  to  intrigue  with  a  man  of  the 
other  tribe  or  village ;  and  if  they  do  not  want  to  fight  even,  they 
are  often  forced  into  it. 

Then  the  system  of  intermarrying  involves  half  a  dozen  tribes 
in  the  quarrel  of  two.  Each  chief  calls  on  his  fathers-in-law  to  as- 
sist, and  thus  the  country  is  thrown  into  uproar;  property  is  un- 
safe, and  becomes  almost  valueless  to  them ;  agricultural  opera- 


76  MORALS  OF  WAR. 

tions  are  impeded,  and  whole  villages  gradually  disappear  from 
the  scene  of  contention,  either  by  migrating,  starving  out,  or  being 
killed  out. 

The  women  not  only  provide  all  the  food,  they  are  also  the 
beasts  of  burden  in  this  part  of  Africa.  My  party  from  Mbene's 
town  consisted  of  Mbene's  two  sons,  Mienrjai  and  Ma/jinda,  twelve 
men,  who  were  hunters,  and  half  a  dozen  stout  women  to  bear  my 
heavy  chests  and  other  luggage,  and  food  for  the  journey. 

We  started  at  length  on  the  morning  of  August  24th.  The  na- 
tives had  done  what  they  could  to  gather  food  beforehand  for  the 
trip,  but  the  result  was  poor  enough.  My  own  supplies  were  by 
this  time  completely  exhausted.  The  half  dozen  crackers  I  had 
in  reserve  were  for  sickness  or  a  great  emergency.  Besides  this, 
they  had  succeeded  in  getting  several  large  bunches  of  plantains 
(the  bread  of  this  country)  and  a  good  many  of  the  bitter  palm- 
nuts,  and  that  was  all  the  commissariat. 

I  took  along  70  pounds  of  shot,  19  pounds  of  powder,  and  10 
pounds  of  arsenic  for  killing  and  preserving  my  specimens ;  also 
my  chests,  containing  cloth,  tobacco,  beads,  etc.,  for  trade  and 
presents  to  the  natives  we  should  meet.  I  made  Miengai  carry 
the  shot,  as  the  women  had  already  enough.  But  my  men  were 
all  loaded  with  trade  on  their  own  account,  consisting  of  brass 
kettles,  iron  pots,  jugs,  etc.,  and  about  100  pounds  of  salt,  put  up 
in  little  packages  of  three  or  four  pounds.' 

The  packing  of  the  women  is  a  subject  of  great  importance. 
They  carry  their  loads  in  heavy  rude  baskets  suspended  down  the 
back ;  and  it  is  necessary  that  these  should  be  carefully  arranged, 
with  three  or  four  inches  of  soft  tree-fibre  next  to  the  back  to 
prevent  chafing. 

When  all  was  arranged — when  every  body  had  taken  leave  of 
all  his  friends,  and  come  back  half  a  dozen  times  to  take  leave 
over  again,  or  say  something  before  forgotten — when  all  the  shout- 
ing, and  ordering,  and  quarreling  were  done,  and  I  had  complete- 
ly lost  patience,  we  at  last  got  away. 

In  about  five  miles'  travel  we  came  to  the  banks  of  the  Noon- 
day Biver,  which  is  here  a  narrow,  but  clear  and  beautiful  stream, 
so  clear  that  I  was  tempted  to  shoot  a  fish  of  curious  shape  I  saw 
swimming  along  as  we  stood  on  the  bank. 

I  fired  a  charge  of  small  shot  into  him ;  but  no  sooner  had  I 
pulled  the  trigger  than  I  heard  a  tremendous  crash  on  the  oppo- 


THE  SIERRA  DEL  CRYSTAL. 


77 


site  bank,  above  six  or  seven  yards  across,  saw  some  small  trees 
torn  violently  down,  and  then  came  the  shrill  trumpetings  of  a 
party  of  frightened  elephants.  They  had  been  standing  in  a  dead 
silence  on  the  opposite  bank  in  the  jungle,  whether  watching  us 
or  not  we  could  not  tell.  I  was  sony  I  fired,  as  we  crossed  the 
stream  just  here,  and  we  might  have  killed  one  but  for  this  fright 
they  got,  which  sent  them  out  of  our  reach. 

After  crossing  the  Noonday,  and  traveling  ten  miles  in  a  north- 
east direction,  we  reached  a  range  of  granite  hills,  which  are  a 
part  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal  mountains.  The  hills  were  very 
steep,  and  to  ascend  them  in  as  good  style  as  possible,  we  sat 
down  and  took  our  dinners  first.  I  ate  a  few  boiled  plantains, 
not  very  strengthening,  but  the  best  we  could  get,  and  then  we 
essayed  the  crooked  and  poorly-marked  path  up  hill,  which  wound 
its  devious  course  about  immense  boulders  of  granite  and  quartz, 
which,  scattered  along  the  declivity,  gave  the  country  a  very 
strange  look. 

This  range  was  about  600  feet  high,  and  the  summit  formed  a 
table-land  three  miles  long,  which  also  was  strewed  with  the  im- 
mense quartz  and  granite  boulders. 

Passing  this  table-land,  we  came  to  another  tier  of  hills,  steeper 
and  higher  than  the  first,  which  also  had  to  be  surmounted.  In 
this  kind  of  traveling  I  find  that  the  natives  have  a  great  advant- 
age over  me.  They  use  their  bare  feet  almost  like  monkeys  do 
theirs.  Long  practice  enables  them  to  catch  hold  of  objects  with 
their  toes,  and  they  could  jump  from  rock  to  rock  without  fear 
of  falling,  while  I,  with  thick  shoes  on,  was  continually  slipping, 
and  got  along  very  slowly. 

"We  were  yet  on  the  first  plateau  when  Miengai  suddenly  made 
me  a  sign  to  keep  very  still.  He  and  I  were  in  advance.  I 
thought  he  had  discovered  a  herd  of  elephants,  or  perhaps  a  tiger. 
He  cocked  his  gun,  and  I  mine,  and  there  we  stood  for  five  min- 
utes in  perfect  silence.  Suddenly  Miengai  sent  a  "hurrah"  roll- 
ing through  the  forest,  which  was  immediately  answered  by  shouts 
from  many  voices  at  no  great  distance,  but  whose  owners  were 
hid  from  us  by  the  rocks  and  trees.  Miengai  replied  with  the 
fierce  shout  of  the  Mbondemo  warriors,  and  was  again  answered. 
Going  a  little  farther  on,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  encampment  of 
a  large  party,  who  proved  to  be  some  of  Mbene's  people  just  re- 
turning from  a  trading  expedition  to  the  interior. 


78 


MBONDEMO  CARAVAN. 


It  was  a  curious  picture.  They  lay  encamped  about  their  fires 
to  the  number  of  about  a  hundred — young  and  old,  men  and 
women ;  some  gray  and  wrinkled,  and  others  babes  in  arms. 
They  had  evidently  traveled  far,  and  were  tired  out.  They  had 
collected  India-rubber,  and  had  in  charge  some  ivory,  and  were 
now  about  to  take  these  goods  to  Mbene  or  some  other  river 
chief,  to  be  sent  down  from  hand  to  hand  to  the  "white-man 
market." 

Here  even  I  noticed  the  laziness  of  the  black  men,  and  the  cruel 
way  in  which  the  women  are  obliged  to  work.  The  Mbondemo 
men  lay  about  the  fires,  handling  their  spears  and  guns,  and  talk- 
ing or  sleeping,  while  the  women  were  doing  the  cooking  and 
making  the  camp  comfortable,  and  such  of  the  children  as  could 
walk  we're  driven  out  to  collect  firewood  for  the  night.  The 
poor  things  seemed  to  be  very  weary,  but  they  got  no  mercy. 

Being  tired  ourselves,  we  built  our  camp-fires  near  the  party, 
and  I  had  the  opportunity  next  day  to  see  them  get  under  way. 
The  men  carried  only  their  arms,  and  most  of  them  were  armed 
to  the  teeth.  The  women  and  larger  children  carried,  in  the  usu- 
al baskets,  suspended  along  the  back,  the  food — of  which  they 
seemed  to  have  a  good  supply — the  ivory  and  India-rubber,  and 
besides — still  in  the  basket — such  of  the  babies  as  could  by  no 
means  get  along  alone.  The  old  people  were  not  exempt  from 
light  burdens,  though  they  had  to  totter  along  with  the  help  of 
long  sticks. 

The  whole  party  were  very  thinly  clothed,  even  for  Africa. 
They  had  with  them  an  old  chief,  to  whom  they  seemed  to  pay 
much  reverence,  and  he  was  constantly  waited  upon  by  his  wives, 
of  whom  he  seemed  to  have  several  with  him.  I  gave  them  a 
little  salt,  for  which  they  seemed  very  grateful. 

Next  morning  we  broke  up  before  daylight,  after  eating  a  very 
scanty  breakfast  of  a  few  cooked  plantains.  It  rained  all  day, 
and  consequently  we  tramped  all  day  in  the  mud,  wet  through, 
and  chilly.  About  noon  we  met  another  large  party  of  traveling 
1  Mbondemo  returning  from  the  interior.  They  had  never  seen  a 
white  man  before,  and  stared  at  me  with  all  the  eyes  they  had, 
though  they  did  not  seem  frightened.  I  fear  my  appearance 
gave  them  but  a  poor  idea  of  white  people.  I  was  clothed  in 
only  a  blue  drilling  shirt  and  trowsers,  both  wet,  and  the  latter 
muddy.    They  begged  me  for  some  tobacco  "to  warm  them- 


CAMPING  IN  THE  BUSH. 


79 


selves,"  and  a  few  leaves  Which  I  gave  them  made  them  perfectly 
happy.  They  seemed  to  suffer  from  the  rain  much  more  than  I 
did,  especially  the  women,  who  I  took  care  should  have  their 
share  of  the  tobacco. 

Among  this  party  were  two  fellows,  named  Ngolai  and  Yeava, 
who  were  from  Mbene's  village,  and  well  known  to  Mbene's  sons. 
These  offered  to  go  with  us  if  we  would  give  them  food,  as  theirs 
was  nearly  gone,  and  Miengai  and  Maginda  promising  this  much, 
they  at  once  joined  our  party. 

After  a  walk  of  about  eighteen  miles  in  the  rain,  through  thick 
woods,  and  over  a  rough  hilly  country  (and  in  a  general  direction 
of  E.S.E),  we  came  to  our  camp,  and  to  my  delight  found  very 
large  and  commodious  huts  ready  for  us.  This  is  a  highway,  it 
seems,  of  this  country,  though  no  signs  of  a  road  are  visible,  and 
different  parties  of  traders  had  built  and  kept  up  these  very  neat 
and  comfortable  sheds.  They  were  built  of  sticks,  as  in  Mbene's 
village,  but  were  better  roofed,  and  larger.  Large  leaves  were 
laid  over  the  sticks,  and  being  carefully  disposed  shinglewise  kept 
out  the  rain  completely. 

We  built  great  fires  and  made  ourselves  comfortable.  I  had 
three  fires  lit  about  my  bed  of  brush,  hung  up  my  wet  clothes  to 
dry,  and,  after  comforting  myself  with  a  little  brandy,  went  to 
sleep  in  much  more  than  usual  snugness,  not  knowing  the  "pa- 
laver" which  was  in  store  for  me  on  the  morrow. 

When  we  got  up,  much  refreshed,  my  men  came  and  said  they 
were  tired,  and  would  not  go  a  step  farther  if  I  did  not  pay  them 
more  cloth. 

They  seemed  in  earnest,  and  I  was,  as  may  be  imagined,  in  con- 
siderable trouble  of  mind.  To  return  now,  when  I  had  got  so  far 
along,  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  To  be  left  alone  would  have 
been  almost  certain  death,  and  to  give  what  they  demanded  was 
to  rob  myself  and  set  a  bad  precedent  to  my  guides.  Finally,  I 
determined  to  put  on  a  bold  front.  I  went  into  the  crowd,  told 
them — pistols  in  hand — that  I  should  not  give  them  any  more 
cloth ;  that  neither  could  I  permit  them  to  leave  me,  because  their 
father,  Mbene,  had  given  them  to  me  to  accompany  me  to  the  Fan 
tribe.  So  far,  I  told  them,  they  must  go  with  me,  or  else — here  I 
motioned  with  my  pistols — there  would  be  war  between  us.  But, 
I  added,  if  they  were  faithful,  I  would  give  each  something  addi- 
tional when  the  trip  was  done. 


80 


After  a  consultation  among  themselves,  they  finally  said  that 
they  were  pleased  with  what  I  said,  and  were  my  friends.  Here- 
upon, with  great  lightness  of  heart  at  my  escape  from  an  ugly 
dilemma,  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and  we  set  out  on  the  jour- 
ney. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  before  we  made  a  start  on  this  day.  We 
were  now  approaching  the  second  mountain  range  of  the  Sierra 
del  Crystal,  and  passing  through  a  wild  country,  densely  wooded, 
rough,  and  strewn  along  the  higher  ground  with  immense  boul- 
ders, which  gave  an  added  wildness  to  the  scene.  Up,  and  up, 
and  up  we  struggled,  through  a  forest  more  silent  than  I  recollect 
to  have  noticed  in  Africa  before  or  since.  Not  even  the  scream 
of  a  bird  or  the  shrill  cry  of  a  monkey  to  break  the  dark  solitude 
— and  either  would  have  been  welcome ;  for,  though  I  generally 
abominate  monkey,  which,  roasted,  looks  too  much  like  roast- 
bab}T,  I  was  now  at  that  point  of  semi-starvation  when  I  should 
have  very  much  delighted  in  a  tender  bit  even  of  gorilla. 

Nothing  was  heard  but  the  panting  breaths  of  our  party,  who 
were  becoming  exhausted  by  the  ascent,  till,  at  last,  I  thought  I 
heard  a  subdued  roar  as  of  a  fall  of  water.  It  grew  plainer  as 
we  toiled  on,  and  finally  filled  the  whole  air  with  its  grand  rush ; 
and  turning  a  sharp  corner  of  a  declivity  and  marching  on  a  little 
way,  the  fall  literally  burst  upon  our  sight — one  of  the  grandest 
views  I  ever  saw.  It  was  not  a  waterfall,  but  an  immense  mount- 
ain torrent  dashing  down  hill  at  an  angle  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
degrees,  for  not  less  than  a  mile  right  before  us,  like  a  vast,  seeth- 
ing, billowy  sea.  The  river-course  was  full  of  the  huge  granite 
boulders  which  lie  about  here  as  though  the  Titans  had  been  play- 
ing at  skittles  in  this  country ;  and  against  these  the  angry  waters 
dashed  as  though  they  would  carry  all  before  them,  and,  breaking 
up,  threw  the  milky  spray  up  to  the  very  tops  of  the  trees  which 
grew  along  the  edge. 

Where  we  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  the  stream  took  a 
winding  turn  down  the  mountain ;  but  we  had  the  whole  mile  of 
foaming  rapid  before  us,  seemingly  pouring  its  mass  of  waters 
down  upon  our  heads. 

This  was  the  head-waters  of  the  Ntambounay. 

Drinking  a  few  handfuls  of  its  pure,  clear,  cool  waters,  we  trav- 
eled onward,  still  up  hill  and  partly  along  the  edge  of  the  rapids. 
In  another  hour  we  reached  a  cleared  space  where  a  Mbondemo 


ATTACKED  BY  A  SERPENT. 


83 


village  had  once  stood,  and  where  we  were  surrounded  with  some 
of  the  springs  which  contribute  their  waters  to  the  torrent  below 
us.    And  this  was  the  summit. 

From  this  elevation — about  5000  feet  above  the  ocean  level — I 
enjoyed  an  unobstructed  view  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The 
hills  we  had  surmounted  the  day  before  lay  quietly  at  our  feet, 
seeming  mere  molehills.  On  all  sides  stretched  the  immense  vir- 
gin forests,  with  here  and  there  the  sheen  of  a  water-course.  And 
far  away  in  the  east  loomed  the  blue  tops  of  the  farthest  range  of 
the  Sierra  del  Crystal,  the  goal  of  my  desires.  The  murmur  of 
the  rapids  below  filled  my  ears,  and,  as  I  strained  my  eyes  toward 
those  distant  mountains  which  I  hoped  to  reach,  I  began  to  think 
how  this  wilderness  would  look  if  only  the  light  of  Christian  civ- 
ilization could  once  be  fairly  introduced  among  the  black/children 
of  Africa.  I  dreamed  of  forests  giving  way  to  plantations  of  cof- 
fee, cotton,  and  spices;  of  peaceful  negroes  going  to  their  content- 
ed daily  tasks ;  of  farming  and  manufactures ;  of  churches  and 
schools ;  and,  luckily  raising  my  eyes  heavenward  at  this  stage  of 
my  thoughts,  saw  pendent  from  the  branch  of  a  tree  beneath  which 
I  was.  sitting  an  immense  serpent,  evidently  preparing  to  gobble 
up  this  dreaming  intruder  on  his  domains. 

My  dreams  of  future  civilization  vanished  in  a  moment.  Luck- 
ily my  gun  lay  at  hand.  I  rushed  out  so  as  to  "  stand  from  un- 
der," and,  taking  good  aim,  shot  my  black  friend  through  the 
head.  He  let  go  his  hold,  and,  after  dancing  about  a  little  on  the 
ground,  lay  dead  before  me.  He  measured  a  little  over  thirteen 
feet  in  length,  and  his  fangs  proved  that  he  was  venomous. 

And  now  that  Christian  civilization  of  which  I  had  mused  so 
pleasantly  a  few  minutes  before  received  another  shock.  My  men 
cut  off  the  head  of  the  snake,  and  dividing  the  body  into  proper 
pieces,  roasted  it  and  ate  it  on  the  spot ;  and  I,  poor,  starved,  but 
civilized  mortal,  stood  by,  longing  for  a  meal,  but  unable  to  stomach 
this.  So  much  for  civilization,  which  is  a  very  good  thi&g  in  its 
way,  but  has  no  business  in  an  African  forest  when  food  is  scarce. 

When  the  snake  was  eaten,  and  I,  the  only  empty-stomached 
individual  of  the  company,  had  sufficiently  reflected  on  the  disad- 
vantages of  being  bred  in  a  Christian  country,  we  began  to  look 
about  the  ruins  of  the  village  near  which  we  sat.  A  degenerate 
kind  of  sugar-cane  was  growing  on  the  very  spot  where  the  houses 
had  formerly  stood,  and  I  made  haste  to  pluck  some  of  this  and 


84 


GORILLA  TRACKS. 


chew  it  for  the  little  sweetness  it  had.  But  as  we  were  plucking 
my  men  perceived  what  instantly  threw  us  all  into  the  greatest 
excitement.  Here  and  there  the  cane  was  beaten  down,  torn  up 
by  the  roots,  and  lying  about  in  fragments  which  had  evidently 
been  chewed. 

I  knew  that  these  were  fresh  tracks  of  the  gorilla,  and  joy  fill- 
ed my  heart.  My  men  looked  at  each  other  in  silence,  and  mut- 
tered Nguyla,  which  is  as  much  as  to  say  in  Mpongwe  Nyina,  or, 
as  we  say,  gorilla. 

We  followed  these  traces,  and  presently  came  to  the  footprints 
of  the  so-long-desired  animal.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever 
seen  these  footprints,  and  my  sensations  were  indescribable.  Here 
was  I  now,  it  seemed,  on  the  point  of  meeting  face  to  face  that 
monster  of  whose  ferocity,  strength,  and  cunning  the  natives  had 
told  me  so  much ;  an  animal  scarce  known  to  the  civilized  world, 
and  which  no  white  man  before  had  hunted.  My  heart  beat  till 
I  feared  its  loud  pulsations  would  alarm  the  gorilla,  and  my  feel- 
ings were  really  excited  to  a  painful  degree. 

By  the  tracks  it  was  easy  to  know  that  there  must  have  been 
several  gorillas  in  company.  "We  prepared  at  once  to  follow 
them. 

The  women  were  terrified,  poor  things,  and  we  left  them  a 
good  escort  of  two  or  three  men  to  take  care  of  them  and  re- 
assure them.  Then  the  rest  of  us  looked  once  more  carefully  at 
our  guns — for  the  gorilla  gives  you  no  time  to  reload,  and  woe  to 
him  whom  he  attacks !  We  were  armed  to  the  teeth.  My  men 
were  remarkably  silent,  for  they  were  going  on  an  expedition  of 
more  than  usual  risk ;  for  the  male  gorilla  is  literally  the  king  of 
the  African  forest.  He  and  the  crested  lion  of  Mount  Atlas  are  the 
two  fiercest  and  strongest  beasts  of  this  continent.  The  lion  of 
South  Africa  can  not  compare  with  either  for  strength  or  courage. 

As  we  left  the  camp,  the  men  and  women  left  behind  crowded 
together",  with  fear  written  on  their  faces.  Miengai,  Makinda,  and 
Ngolai  set  out  in  one  party,  and  myself  and  Yeava  formed  anoth- 
er, for  the  hunt.  We  determined  to  keep  near  each  other,  that  in 
emergency  we  might  be  at  hand  to  help  each  other.  And  for  the 
rest,  silence  and  a  sure  aim  were  the  only  cautions  to  be  given. 

As  we  followed  the  tracks  we  could  easily  see  that  there  were 
four  or  five  of  them  ;  though  none  appeared  very  large.  We  saw 
where  they  had  run  along  on  all  fours,  the  usual  mode  of  pro- 


HUNTING  GORILLAS. 


85 


gressicm  of  these  animals,  and  where,  from  time  to  time,  they  had 
seated  themselves  to  chew  the  canes  they  had  borne  off.  The 
chase  began  to  be  very  exciting. 

We  had  agreed  to  return  to  the  women  and  their  guards,  and 
consult  upon  final  operations,  when  we  should  have  discovered 
their  probable  course ;  and  this  was  now  done.  To  make  sure  of 
not  alarming  our  prey,  we  moved  the  whole  party  forward  a  little 
way  to  where  some  leafy  huts,  built  by  passing  traders,  served  for 
shelter  and  concealment.  And  having  here  bestowed  the  women 
— who  have  a  lively  fear  of  the  terrible  gorilla,  in  consequence 
of  various  stories  current  among  the  tribes,  of  women  having  been 
carried  off  into  the  woods  by  the  fierce  animal — we  prepared  once 
more  to  set  out  in  chase,  thie  time  hopeful  to  catch  a  shot. 

Looking  once  more  to  our  guns,  we  started  off.  I  confess  that 
I  never  was  more  excited  in  my  life.  For  years  I  had  heard  of 
the  terrible  roar  of  the  gorilla,  of  its  vast  strength,  its  fierce  cour- 
age if,  unhappily,  only  wounded  by  a  shot.  I  knew  that  we  were 
about  to  pit  ourselves  against  an  animal  which  even  the  tiger  of 
these  mountains  fears,  and  which,  perhaps,  has  driven  the  lion  out 
of  this  territory ;  for  the  king  of  beasts,  so  numerous  elsewhere  in  * 
Africa,  is  never  met  in  the  land  of  the  gorilla.  Thus  it  was  with 
no  little  emotion  that  I  now  turned  again  toward  the  prize  at 
which  I  had  been  hoping  for  years  to  get  a  shot. 

"We  descended  a  hill,  crossed  a  stream  on  a  fallen  log,  and  pres- 
ently approached  some  huge  boulders  of  granite.  Alongside  of 
this  granite  block  lay  an  immense  dead  tree,  and  about  this  we 
saw  many  evidences  of  the  very  recent  presence  of  the  gorillas. 

Our  approach  was  very  cautious.  We  were  divided  into  two 
parties.  Makinda  led  one  and  I  the  other.  We  were  to  sur- 
round the  granite  block  behind  which  Makinda  supposed  the 
gorillas  to  be  hiding.  Guns  cocked  and  in  hand,  we  advanced 
through  the  dense  wood,  which  cast  a  gloom  even  in  midday  over 
the  whole  scene.  I  looked  at  my  men,  and  saw  plainly  that  they 
were  in  even  greater  excitement  than  myself. 

Slowly  we  pressed  on  through  the  dense  brush,  fearing  almost 
to  breathe  for  fear  of  alarming  the  beasts.  Makinda  was  to  go 
to  the  right  of  the  rock,  while  I  took  the  left.  Unfortunately,  he 
circled  it  at  too  great  a  distance.  The  watchful  animal  saw  him. 
Suddenly  I  was  startled  by  a  strange,  discordant,  half  human, 
devilish  cry,  and  beheld  four  young  gorillas  running  toward  the 


86 


MAN-LIKE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


deep  forests.  We  fired,  but  bit  notbing.  Tben  we  rusbed  on  in 
pursuit ;  but  tbey  knew  tbe  woods  better  tban  we.  Once  I  caugbt 
a  glimpse  of  one  of  the  animals  again,  but  an  intervening  tree 
spoiled  my  mark,  and  I  did  not  fire.  "We  ran  till  we  were  ex- 
hausted, but  in  vain.  The  alert  beasts  made  good  their  escape. 
When  we  could  pursue  no  more  we  returned  slowly  to  our  camp, 
where  the  women  were  anxiously  expecting  us. 

I  protest  I  felt  almost  like  a  murderer  when  I  saw  the  gorilla 
this  first  time.  As  they  ran — on  their  hind  legs — they  looked 
fearfully  like  hairy  men ;  their  heads  down,  their  bodies  inclined 
forward,  their  whole  appearance  like  men  running  for  their  lives. 
Take  with  this  their  awful  cry,  which,  fierce  and  animal  as  it  is, 
has  yet  something  human  in  its  discordance,  and  you  will  cease  to 
wonder  that  the  natives  have  the  wildest  superstitions  about  these 
"wild  men  of  the  woods." 

In  our  absence  the  women  had  built  large  fires  and  prepared 
the  camp,  which  was  not  so  comfortable  as  last  night's,  but  yet 
protected  us  from  rain.  I  changed  my  clothes,  which  had  be- 
come wet  through  by  the  frequent  torrents  and  puddles  we  ran 
*  through  in  our  eager  pursuit,  and  then  we  sat  down  to  our  sup- 
per, which  had  been  cooked  meantime.  And  now  I  noticed  that, 
by  the  improvidence  of  the  womenf  who  are  no  better  managers 
than  the  men  (poor  things),  all  my  plantains  were  gone — eaten  up. 
So  that  I  had  to  depend  for  next  day — and  in  fact  for  the  remain- 
der of  our  passage  to  the  Fan  tribe — on  two  or  three  biscuit 
which,  luckily,  I  yet  possessed. 

As  we  lay  about  the  fire  in  the  evening  before  going  to  sleep, 
the  adventure  of  the  day  was  talked  over,  and  of  course  there  fol- 
lowed some  curious  stories  of  the  gorillas.  I  listened  in  silence  to 
the  conversation,  which  was  not  addressed  to  me,  and  was  reward- 
ed by  hearing  the  stories  as  they  are  bebeved,  and  not  as  a  stran- 
ger would  be  apt  to  draw  them  out  by  questions. 

One  of  the  men  told  a  story  of  two  Mbondemo  women  who 
were  walking  together  through  the  woods,  when  suddenly  an  im- 
mense gorilla  stepped  into  the  path,  and,  clutching  one  of  the 
women,  bore  her  off  in  spite  of  the  screams  and  struggles  of  both. 
The  other  woman  returned  to  the  village,  sadly  frightened,  and 
related  the  story.  Of  course  her  companion  was  given  up  for 
lost.  Great  was  the  surprise,  therefore,  when,  a  few  days  after- 
ward, she  returned  to  her  home.    She  related  that  the  gorilla  had 


GORILLA  STORIES. 


87 


forced  her  to  submit  to  his  desires,  but  had  not  otherwise  injured 
her,  and  that  she  had  easily  escaped  from  him. 

"  Yes,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "  that  was  a  gorilla  inhabited  by  a 
spirit." 

Which  explanation  was  received  with  a  general  grunt  of  ap- 
proval. 

They  believe,  in  all  this  country,  that  there  is  a  kind  of  gorilla 
— known  to  the  initiated  by  certain  mysterious  signs,  but  chiefly 
by  being  of  extraordinary  size — which  is  the  residence  of  certain 
spirits  of  departed  negroes.  Such  gorillas,  the  natives  believe, 
can  never  be  caught  or  killed ;  and,  also,  they  have  much  more 
shrewdness  and  sense  than  the  common  animal.  In  fact,  in  these 
"possessed"  beasts,  it  would  seem  that  the  intelligence  of  man  is 
united  with  the  strength  and  ferocity  of  the  beast.  No  wonder 
the  poor  African  dreads  so  terrible  a  being  as  his  imagination 
thus  conjures  up. 

One  of  the  men  told  how,  some  years  ago,  a  party  of  gorillas 
were  found  in  a  cane-field  tying  up  the  sugar-cane  in  regular 
bundles,  preparatory  to  carrying  it  away.  The  natives  attacked 
them,  but  were  routed,  and  several  killed,  while  others  were  car- 
ried off  prisoners  by  the  gorillas ;  but  in  a  few  days  they  return- 
ed home  uninjured,  with  this  horrid  exception :  the  nails  of  their 
fingers  and  toes  had  been  torn  off  by  their  captors. 

Some  years  ago  a  man  suddenly  disappeared  from  his  village. 
It  is  probable  that  he  was  carried  off  by  a  tiger ;  but  as  no 
news  came  of  him,  the  native  superstition  invented  a  cause  for  his 
absence.  It  was  related  and  believed  that,  as  he  walked  through 
the  wood  one  day,  he  was  suddenly  changed  into  a  hideous  large 
gorilla,  which  was  often  pursued  afterward  but  never  killed, 
though  it  continually  haunted  the  neighborhood  of  the  village. 

Here  several  spoke  up  and  mentioned  names  of  men  now  dead 
whose  spirits  were  known  to  be  dwelling  in  gorillas. 

Finally  was  rehearsed  the  story  which  is  current  among  all  the 
tribes  who  at  all  know  the  gorilla :  that  this  animal  lies  in  wait 
in  the  lower  branches  of  trees,  watching  for  people  who  go  to  and 
fro ;  and,  when  one  passes  sufficiently  near,  grasps  the  luckless 
fellow  with  his  powerful  feet  and  draws  him  up  into  the  tree, 
where  he  quietly  chokes  him. 

All  the  natives  agree,  I  say,  in  ascribing  to  the  animal  this 
trait  of  lying  in  wait  for  his  enemies  and  drawing  them  up  to  him 


88 


A  JOURNEY  ON  AN  EMPTY  STOMACH. 


by  his  "lower  hands,"  as  they  may  properly  be  called.  But  I 
have  little  doubt  that  this  story  is  incorrect.  Of  course,  the  se- 
cluded habits  of  this  animal,  which  lives  only  in  the  darkest  for- 
ests, and  carefully  shuns  all  approach  to  man,  help  to  fill  the  na- 
tives with  curious  superstitions  regarding  it. 

This  day  we  traveled  fifteen  miles,  ten  of  which  were  easterly, 
and  five  to  the  southeast. 

The  next  day  we  went  out  on  another  gorilla-hunt,  but  found 
no  traces  at  all.  I  came  in  very  tired;  ate  all  my  sea-bread: 
and  though  we  tried  our  best,  we  did  not  manage  to  reach  a  cer- 
tain settlement  which  Makinda  had  assured  me  was  near.  I  was 
now  at  the  end  of  my  provisions — have  never  been  able  to  eat 
the  wild  nuts  which  the  natives  miserably  subsist  on  in  such 
straits — and  began  to  feel  anxious  to  reach  some  village.  For 
traveling  on  an  empty  stomach  is  too  exhausting  to  be  very  long 
endured,  as  former  experience  had  taught  me. 

We  rose  early  next  morning,  and  trudged  off  breakfastless. 
There  was  not  a  particle  of  food  among  us.  Singularly  enough, 
I  thought  yesterday  was  Saturday,  and  only  discovered  to-day 
that  it  was  Thursday.  We  crossed  several  streams,  and  traveled 
all  day  through  a  forest  of  an  almost  chilling  gloom  and  soli- 
tude, ascending,  in  the  midst,  the  steepest  and  highest  hill  we 
have  so  far  met.  I  suppose  it  to  be  part  of  the  third  range  of  the 
Sierra. 

I  felt  vexed  at  the  thoughtlessness  of  my  men,  who  ought  to 
have  provided  food  enough  to  last  us.  But  I  ought  to  praise  the 
poor  fellows,  for,  though  long  hungry  themselves,  they  gave  me 
the  greater  part  of  the  few  nuts  they  found.  But  there  is  no 
nourishment  for  my  poor  civilized  blood  in  these  rude  things. 

This  is  one  of  the  hardest  days'  travel  I  ever  accomplished. 
We  made  twenty  miles  in  a  general  direction  of  east,  though  some 
deductions  must  be  made  for  deviations  from  a  straight  line. 

The  forest  seemed  deserted.  Not  a  bird  even  to  kill.  We 
heard  the  chatter  of  a  few  monkeys,  but  sought  in  vain  to  get 
near  them  for  a  shot.  When  we  camped  I  took  a  swallow  of 
brandy  and  went  to  sleep,  as  the  best  way  to  forget  my  miseries. 

The  next  morning  I  woke  up  feeble,  but  found  that  the  fel- 
lows had  killed  a  monkey,  which,  roughly  roasted  on  the  coals, 
tasted  delicious,  though  I  think,  under  average  cirumstances,  the 
human  look  of  the  animal  would  have  turned  me  from  it.  To 


A  FEED  ON  HONEY. 


89 


add  to  our  satisfaction,  Makinda  presently  discovered  a  bee-hive 
in  the  hollow  of  a  tree.  We  smoked  the  bees  out  and  divided  the 
honev,  which  was  full  of  worms,  but  was  nevertheless  all  eaten 
up.  "We  were  so  nearly  famished  that  we  could  scarce  wait  for 
the  hive  to  be  emptied.  No  sooner  was  the  honey  spread  out  on 
leaves  and  laid  on  the  grass,  than  every  one  of  the  men  was  ready 
to  clutch  the  biggest  piece  he  could  lay  his  hand  on  and  eat 
away.  There  might  have  been  a  fight,  to  prevent  which  I  inter- 
posed, and  divided  the  whole  sweet  booty  into  equal  shares,  re- 
serving for  myself  only  a  share  with  the  rest.  This  done,  every 
one — myself  included — at  once  sat  down  and  devoured  honey, 
wax,  dead  bees,  worms,  dirt,  and  all,  and  our  only  sorrow  was  that 
we  had  not  more. 

We  had  a  hard  time  getting  through  old  elephant  tracks,  which 


\ 


MliONDEMO  MAN  AND  WOMAN,  SUOWING  MANNER  OF  CARRYING  CHILDREN  AND  JSLT.DENS. 


t 


90  A  DESERTED  VILLAGE. 

were  the  best  road  through  the  jungle.  Saw  no  animals,  but  met 
several  gorilla  tracks. 

Toward  two  o'clock  the  men  began  to  be  very  jolly,  which  I 
took  to  be  a  sign  of  our  approach  to  a  village.  Presently  they 
shouted,  and,  looking  up  toward  the  face  of  a  hill  before  us,  I 
saw  the  broad  leaves  of  the  plantain,  the  forerunner  of  an  African 
town.  Since  we  left  Mbene's  town  these  were  the  first  human 
habitations  we  had  met,  and  I  was  no  little  rejoiced. 

But  alas!  as  we  approached  we  found  no  one  coming  out  to 
meet  us,  as  is  the  hospitable  way  in  Africa,  and  when  we  got  to 
the  place  we  found  it  entirely  deserted.  It  was  an  old  town  of 
Mbene's  people.  Presently,  however,  some  MLicho  people  living 
near,  relatives  of  Mbene's,  came  to  see  us,  and  gave  us  some  plant- 
ains.   But  I  could  not  get  what  I  needed  most — a  fowl. 

The  Ifbichos  were  in  great  amazement.  None  had  ever  seen  a 
white  man  before.    They  thought  me  very  singular. 

We  spent  the  evening  in  our  houses  drying  and  warming  our- 
selves. It  was  much  better  than  the  forest,  even  if  it  was  only  a 
deserted  town.  *  ' 

I  judged  myself  here  about  150  miles  from  the  coast.  With 
the  exception  of  a  Mbicho  town  near  by,  we  were  now  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  Fan  villages,  and  shall  make  the  ac- 
quaintance of  these  cannibals  in  a  very  short  time. 


/ 


MEETING  THE  FANS. 


91 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Famine. — Encounter  with  the  Fan.— A  desperate  Situation. — Fright  at  my  Appear- 
ance A  Fan  Warrior.— His  Weapons.— Fetiches. — Women.— I  am  closely  ex- 
amined.— Gorilla-hunt. — Signs  of  the  Animal's  Presence. — Appearance  of  the 
Male. — Roar. — Conduct. — My  first  Gorilla. — Division  of  the  Spoils. — Supersti- 
tions.—Wandering  Bakalai. — Mournful  Songs. — Their  Fear  of  Night.— Cooking. 
— Fan  Town. — Cannibal  Signs. — Presented  to  his  cannibal  Majesty. — The  King 
is  scared  at  my  Appearance. — Description  of  his  Majesty. — Mbene's  Glory. — The 
King  in  his  War-dress.— Arms  of  the  Fan. — A  grand  Dance. — The  Music. 

Next  day  Mbene  came,  which  gave  me  great  relief,  for  he  is 
a  steadier  and  more  influential  man  than  his  sons.  He  was  ex- 
hausted from  his  travels,  and  when  I  told  him  we  needed  food,  he 
immediately  set  off  to  a  Fan  village  a  few  miles  off  for  a  supply. 
Unable  to  wait  for  his  return,  I  started  off  with  my  men  to  meet 
him  on  his  return,  hoping  perhaps  to  shoot  something  by  the 
way.  My  hunger  accelerated  my  movements,  and  pretty  soon  I 
found  myself  half  a  mile  ahead  of  my  companions  and  in  sight  of 
a  chattering  monkey,  who  dodged  me  whenever  I  took  aim  at 
him,  and  whom  I  vainly  tried  to  get  down  out  of  his  perch  on  the 
high  tree  where  he  lived. 

After  watching  this  animal  for  some  time,  I  happened  to  look 
down  before  me,  and  beheld  a  sight  which  drove  the  monkey  out 
of  my  mind  in  an  instant.  Judge  of  my  astonishment  when  be- 
fore me  I  saw  a  Fan  warrior,  with  his  two  wives  behind  him.  I 
was  at  first  alarmed,  but  immediately  saw  that  all  three  were 
quaking  with  deadly  terror.  The  man's  shield  shook  and  rat- 
tled, to  such  a  degree  was  he  frightened;  his  mouth  stood  open 
— the  lips  were  fairly  white ;  one  of  his  three  spears  had  fallen  to 
the  ground,  and  the  other  two  he  held  in  a  manner  betokening 
abject  fear. 

The  women  had  been  carrying  baskets  on  their  heads,  but  these 
had  been  thrown  to  the  ground,  and  they  stood  in  perfect  silence 
and  terror  looking  at  me. 

They  all  thought,  it  appeared  afterward,  that  I  was  a  spirit  who 
had  just  come  down  out  of  the  sky.    As  for  me,  my  first  thought, 


92 


MUTUAL  EMBARRASSMENT. 


when  I  took  in  the  situation,  was,  suppose  these  people  grow  des- 
perate with  fear,  then  I  may  have  a  poisoned  arrow  launched  at 
me.  And  if  they  got  over  their  terror  ere  my  companions  ar- 
rived, then  I  was  likely  to  have  a  spear  sent  through  me,  unless 
I  were  quicker  than  my  antagonist  and  shot  him,  which  I  by  no 
means  desired  to  do;  for,  aside  from  the  hatred  of  unnecessary 
bloodshed,  I  should  by  such  a  course  have  endangered  my  life 
among  his  countrymen. 

I  smiled  and  tried  to  look  pleasant,  in  order  to  reassure  them  a 
little  ;  but  this  only  made  matters  worse.  They  looked  as  though 
upon  the  point  of  sinking  to  the  ground. 


FAN  WARKI03. 


Then  I  heard  the  voices  of  my  men  behind  coming  up,  and 
presently  I  was  safe,  and  the  Fan  people  were  relieved  of  their 
terror.  Miengai  smiled  to  see  it,  and  told  the  man  he  need  not 
regard  me  as  a  spirit,  for  I  was  his  father's  white  man,  come  from 
the  sea-shore  on  purpose  to  visit  the  Fan.  Then  I  gave  the  wom- 
en some  strings  of  white  beads,  which  did  more  than  any  thing 
else  to  ease  their  fears. 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  CANNIBALS.  93 
* 

On  our  return  we  found  that  Makinda  had  brought  some  plant- 
ains but  no  fowl.  I  had  now  been  a  week  without  tasting  flesh, 
except  only  the  wretched  monkey  we  shot  on  the  way,  and  felt 
very  much  in  need  of  something  hearty. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  we  held  levee  in  my  house.  Great 
crowds  of  Fan  from  the  neighboring  villages  came  to  see  me. 
The  men  did  not  appear  very  much  frightened,  but  the  women 
and  children  were  excessively  so.  But  all  kept  at  a  very  respect- 
able distance.  One  glance  from  me  toward  a  woman  or  child  suf- 
ficed to  make  these  run  off. 

If  I  was  not  frightened,  I  was  at  least  as  much  surprised  by  all 
I  saw  as  the  Fan  could  be.  These  fellows,  who  now  for  the  first 
time  saw  a  white  man  with  straight  hair,  were  to  me  an  equal 
surprise,  for  they  are  real,  unmistakable  cannibals.  And  they 
were,  by  long  odds,  the  most  remarkable  people  I  had  thus  far 
seen  in  Africa.  They  were  much  lighter  in  shade  than  any  of 
the  coast  tribes,  strong,  tall,  well  made,  and  evidently  active  ;  and 
they  seemed  to  me  to  have  a  more  intelligent  look  than  is  usual 
to  the  African  unacquainted  with  white  men. 

The  men  were  almost  naked.  They  had  no  cloth  about  the 
middle,  but  used  instead  the  soft  inside  bark  of  a  tree,  over  which, 
in  front,  was  suspended  the  skin  of  some  wild-cat  or  tiger.  They 
had  their  teeth  filed,  which  gives  the  face  a  ghastly  and  ferocious 
look,  and  some  had  the  teeth  blackened  besides.  Their  hair  or 
"  wool"  was  drawn  out  into  long  thin  plaits ;  on  the  end  of  each 
stiff  plait  were  strung  some  white  beads,  or  copper  or  iron  rings. 
Some  wore  feather  caps,  but  others  wore  long  queues  made  of 
their  own  wool  and  a  kind  of  tow,  dyed  black  and  mixed  with  it, 
and  giving  the  wearer  a  most  grotesque  appearance. 

Over  their  shoulders  was  suspended  the  huge  country  knife, 
and  in  their  hands  were  spears  and  the  great  shield  of  elephant- 
hide,  and  about  the  necks  and  bodies  of  all  were  hung  a  variety  of 
fetiches  and  greegrees,  which  rattled  as  they  walked. 

The  Fan  shield  is  made  of  the  hide  of  an  old  elephant,  and  only 
of  that  part  which  lies  across  the  back.  This,  when  dried  and 
smoked,  is  hard  and  impenetrable  as  iron.  The  shield  is  about 
three  feet  long  by  two  and  a  half  wide. 

Their  fetiches  consisted  of  fingers  and  tails  of  monkeys;  of  hu- 
man hair,  skin,  teeth,  bones;  of  clay,  old  nails,  copper  chains, 
shells ;  feathers,  claws,  and  skulls  of  birds ;  pieces  of  iron,  copper, 


94  FAN  WOMEN. 

or  wood ;  seeds  of  plants ;  ashes  of  various  substances ;  and  I  can 
not  tell  what  more.  From  the  great  variety  and  plenty  of  these 
objects  on  their  persons,  I  suppose  these  Fan  to  be  a  very  super- 
stitious people. 

The  women,  who  were  even  less  dressed  than  the  men,  were 
much  smaller  than  they,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Fernando  Po,  who  are  called  Boobies,  I  never  saw  such  ugly 
women  as  these.  These,  too,  had  their  teeth  filed,  and  most  had 
their  bodies  painted  red,  by  means  of  a  dye  obtained  from  the 
bar- wood.  They  carried  their  babies  on  their  backs  in  a  sling  or 
rest  made  of  some  kind  of  tree-bark  and  fastened  to  the  neck  of 
the  mother. 

Such  were  the  strange  people  who  now  crowded  about  me,  exam- 
ining every  part  of  my  person  and  dress  that  I  would  allow  to  be 
touched,  but  especially  wondering  at  my  hair  and  my  feet.  The 
former  they  could  not  sufficiently  admire.  On  my  feet  I  had  boots : 
and  as  my  trowsers  lay  over  these,  they  thought,  naturally  enough, 
that  these  boots  were  my  veritable  feet,  and  wondered  greatly 
that  my  face  should  be  of  one  color  and  the  feet  of  another.  I 
showed  myself  to  as  good  advantage  as  I  knew  how,  and  sur- 
prised them  very  much — as  I  wished  to  indeed — by  shooting  a 
couple  of  swallows  on  the  wing  in  their  presence.  This  was 
thought  a  wonderful  feat.  They  all  went  off  at  four  o'clock, 
promising  to  return  to-morrow  and  bring  me  some  fowls. 

These  Fan  belong,  I  should  think,  to  a  different  family  of  the 
negro  race  from  the  coast  natives,  or  indeed  any  tribes  I  have 
seen  before.  Their  foreheads  do  not  seem  so  compressed ;  but  it 
is  curious  that  in  many  the  head  runs  up  into  a  kind  of  peak  or 
sugar-loaf.  This  indicates  a  low  scale  of  intelligence ;  but  it 
must  be  said,  to  these  people's  credit,  that  they  are  in  some  things 
much  more  ingenious  than  their  neighbors.  They  extract  iron 
from  the  ore,  and  show  great  ingenuity,  with  such  poor  imple- 
ments as  they  have,  in  making  their  weapons,  as  the  illustrations 
I  give  of  those  in  my  collection  will  show. 

The  next  day  my  men  started  for  a  gorilla-hunt.  I  saw  them 
load  their  guns,  and  wonder  why  the  poor  cheap  "  trade"  guns 
do  not  burst  at  every  discharge.  They  put  in  first  four  or  five 
"  fingers"  high  of  coarse  powder,  and  ram  down  on  this  four  or 
five  pieces  of  iron  bar  or  rough  broken  iron,  making  the  whole 
charge  eight  to  ten  fingers  high.    But  they  are  not  great  marks- 


/ 


IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


97 


men,  and  my  skill  with  the  rifle  often  calls  out  expressions  of 
wonder,  and  almost  of  superstitious  fear  from  the  best  among 
them. 

I  killed  some  birds  to-day,  but  I  spent  the  day  chiefly  in  look- 
ing about  the  town  and  neighborhood — really  doing  nothing. 
As  I  walked  along  a  Fan  woman  gravely  asked  me  why  I  did 
not  take  off  my  clothes  ?  She  felt  sure  they  must  be  a  great  hin- 
drance to  me,  and  if  I  would  leave  off  these  things  I  should  be 
able  to  walk  more  easily. 

The  next  day  we  went  out  all  together  for  a  gorilla-hunt. 
The  country  hereabouts  is  very  rough,  hilly,  and  densely  crowd- 
ed ;  consequently,  hunting  is  scarcely  to  be  counted  sport.  But 
a  couple  of  days  of  rest  had  refreshed  me,  and  I  was  anxious  to 
be  in  at  the  death  of  a  gorilla. 

We  saw  several  gorilla  tracks,  and  about  noon  divided  our 
party,  in  the  hope  of  surrounding  the  resting-place  of  one  whose 
tracks  were  very  plain.  I  had  scarce  got  away  from  my  party 
three  hundred  yards  when  I  heard  a  report  of  a  gun,  then  of 
three  more,  going  off  one  after  the  other.  Of  course,  I  ran  back 
as  fast  as  I  could,  and  hoped  to  see  a  dead  animal  before  me, 
but  was  once  more  disappointed.  My  Mbondemo  fellows  had 
fired  at  a  female,  had  wounded  her,  as  I  saw  by  the  clots  of 
blood  which  marked  her  track,  but  she  had  made  good  her  es- 
cape. We  set  out  at  once  in  pursuit;  but  these  woods  are  so 
thick,  so  almost  impenetrable,  that  pursuit  of  a  wounded  animal 
is  not  often  successful.  A  man  can  only  creep  where  the  beast 
would  run. 

Night  came  upon  us  while  we  were  still  beating  the  bush,  and 
it  was  determined  to  camp  out  and  try  our  luck  again  on  the 
morrow.  Of  course,  I  was  only  too  glad.  We  shot  some  mon- 
keys and  birds,  built  our  camp,  and,  while  the  men  roasted  their 
monkey  meat  over  the  coals,  I  held  my  birds  before  the  blaze  on 
a  stick.  Fortunately  we  had  food  enough,  and  of  a  good  kind, 
for  next  day. 

We  started  early,  and  pushed  for  the  most  dense  and  impene- 
trable part  of  the  forest,  in  hopes  to  find  the  very  home  of  the 
beast  I  so  much  wished  to  shoot.  Hour  after  hour  we  traveled, 
and  yet  no  signs  of  gorilla.  Only  the  everlasting  little  chattering 
monkeys — and  not  many  of  these — and  occasionally  birds.  In 
fact,  the  forests  of  this  part  of  Africa — as  the  reader  has  seen  by 

G 


98 


THE  ONSET  OF  A  GORILLA. 


this  time — are  not  so  full  of  life  as  in  some  other  parts  to  the 
south. 

Suddenly  Miengai  uttered  a  little  cluck  with  his  tongue,  which 
is  the  native's  way  of  showing  that  something  is  stirring,  and  that 
a  sharp  look-out  is  necessary.  And  presently  I  noticed,  ahead  of 
us  seemingly,  a  noise  as  of  some  one  breaking  down  branches  or 
twigs  of  trees. 

This  was  the  gorilla,  I  knew  at  once,  by  the  eager  and  satisfied 
looks  of  the  men.  They  looked  once  more  carefully  at  their 
guns,  to  see  if  by  any  chance  the  powder  had  fallen  out  of  the 
pans ;  I  also  examined  mine,  to  make  sure  that  all  were  right;  and 
then  we  marched  on  cautiously. 

The  singular  noise  of  the  breaking  of  tree-branches  continued. 
We  walked  with  the  greatest  care,  making  no  noise  at  all.  The 
countenances  of  the  men  showed  that  they  thought  themselves 
engaged  in  a  very  serious  undertaking ;  but  we  pushed  on,  until 
finally  we  thought  we  saw  through  the  thick  woods  the  moving 
of  the  branches  and  small  trees  which  the  great  beast  was  tear- 
ing down,  probably  to  get  from  them  the  berries  and  fruits  he 
lives  on. 

Suddenly,  as  we  were  yet  creeping  along,  in  a  silence  which 
made  a  heavy  breath  seem  loud  and  distinct,  the  woods  were  at 
once  filled  with  the  tremendous  barking  roar  of  the  gorilla. 

Then  the  underbrush  swa}'ed  rapidly  just  ahead,  and  presently 
before  us  stood  an  immense  male  gorilla.  He  had  gone  through 
the  jungle  on  his  all-fours;  but  when  he  saw  our  party  he  erect- 
ed himself  and  looked  us  boldly  in  the  face.  He  stood  about  a 
dozen  yards  from  us,  and  was  a  sight  I  think  never  to  forget. 
Nearly  six  feet  high  (he  proved  two  inches  shorter),  with  immense 
body,  huge  chest,  and  great  muscular  arms,  with  fiercely-glaring 
large  deep  gray  eyes,  and  a  hellish  expression  of  face,  which  seem- 
ed to  me  like  some  nightmare  vision :  thus  stood  before  us  this 
kiner  of  the  African  forests. 

O 

He  was  not  afraid  of  us.  He  stood  there,  and  beat  his  breast 
with  his  huge  fists  till  it  resounded  like  an  immense  bass-drum, 
which  is  their  mode  of  offering  defiance ;  meantime  giving  vent 
to  roar  after  roar. 

The  roar  of  the  gorilla  is  the  most  singular  and  awful  noise 
heard  in  these  African  woods.  It  begins  with  a  sharp  bark,  like 
an  angry  dog,  then  glides  into  a  deep  bass  roll,  which  literally  and 


MY  FIEST  GORILLA. 


101 


closely  resembles  the  roll  of  distant  thunder  along  the  sky,  for 
which  I  have  sometimes  been  tempted  to  take  it  where  I  did  not 
see  the  animal.  So  deep  is  it  that  it  seems  to  proceed  less  from 
the  mouth  and  throat  than  from  the  deep  chest  and  vast  paunch. 

His  eyes  began  to  flash  fiercer  fire  as  we  stood  motionless  on 
the  defensive,  and  the  crest  of  short  hair  which  stands  on  his  fore- 
head began  to  twitch  rapidly  up  and  down,  while  his  powerful 
fangs  were  shown  as  he  again  sent  forth  a  thunderous  roar.  And 
now  truly  he  reminded  me  of  nothing  but  some  hellish  dream 
creature — a  being  of  that  hideous  order,  half  man  half  beast, 
which  we  find  pictured  by  old  artists  in  some  representations  of 
the  infernal  regions.  He  advanced  a  few  steps — then  stopped  to 
utter  that  hideous  roar  again — advanced  again,  and  finally  stop- 
ped when  at  a  distance  of  about  six  yards  from  us.  And  here, 
as  he  began  another  of  his  roars  and  beating  his  breast  in  rage, 
we  fired,  and  killed  him. 

"With  a  groan  which  had  something  terribly  human  in  it,  and 
yet  was  full  of  brutishness,  it  fell  forward  on  its  face.  The  body 
shook  convulsively  for  a  few  minutes,  the  limbs  moved  about  in 
a  struggling  way,  and  then  all  was  quiet — death  had  done  its 
work,  and  I  had  leisure  to  examine  the  huge  body.  It  proved  to 
be  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  and  the  macular  development  of  the 
arms  and  breast  showed  what  immense  strength  it  had  possessed. 

My  men,  though  rejoicing  at  our  luck,  immediately  began  to 
quarrel  about  the  apportionment  of  the  meat — for  they  really  eat 
this  creature.  I  saw  that  we  should  come  to  blows  presently  if  I 
did  not  interfere,  and  therefore  said  I  should  myself  give  each 
man  his  share,  which  satisfied  all.  As  we  were  too  tired  to  re- 
turn to  our  camp  of  last  night,  we  determined  to  camp  here  on 
the  spot,  and  accordingly  soon  had  some  shelters  erected  and  din- 
ner going  on.  Luckily,  one  of  the  fellows  shot  a  deer  just  as  we 
began  to  camp,  and  on  its  meat  I  feasted  while  my  men  ate  go- 
rilla. 

I  noticed  that  they  very  carefully  saved  the  brain,  and  was 
told  that  charms  were  made  of  this — charms  of  two  kinds.  Pre- 
pared in  one  way,  the  charm  gave  the  wearer  a  strong  hand  for  the 
hunt,  and  in  another  it  gave  him  success  with  women.  This  even- 
ing we  had  again  gorilla  stories — but  all  to  the  same  point  al- 
ready mentioned,  that  there  are  gorillas  inhabited  by  human  spir- 
its, j 


102 


BAKALAI  MOURNERS. 


"We  returned  to  our  deserted  village  next  day,  and  found  a 
division  of  traveling  Bakalai  in  possession.  These  people,  with 
whom  fortunately  I  could  speak,  had  lived  on  the  Noya,  some 
distance  from  here.  They  were  now  moving,  to  be  near  some  of 
their  tribe.  I  asked  why  they  left  their  former  village,  and  learn- 
ed that  one  morning  one  of  their  men,  while  out  bathing  in  the 
river,  had  been  shot.  Hereupon  they  were  seized  with  a  panic, 
believed  the  town  attacked  by  witches,  and  at  once  resolved  to 
abandon  it  and  settle  elsewhere.  They  had  all  their  household 
goods  with  them — chests,  cloth,  brass  kettles,  wash-basons,  pans, 
etc.,  as  well  as  a  great  quantity  of  yams,  plantains,  and  fowls. 

They  were  glad  to  get  some  tobacco  from  me,  and  I  was  glad 
to  trade  a  little  away  for  provisions. 

At  sunset  every  one  of  them  retired  to  within  doors.  The 
children  ceased  to  play,  and  all  became  quiet  in  the  camp  where 
just  before  had  been  so  much  life  and  bustle.  Then  suddenly 
arose  on  the  air  one  of  those  mournful,  heart-piercing  chants 
which  you  hear  among  all  the  tribes  in  this  land — a  wail  whose 
burden  seems  to  be,  "  There  is  no  hope."  It  was  a  chant  for  their 
departed  friends ;  and  as  they  sang  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks 
of  the  women,  fright  marked  their  faces  and  cowed  their  spirits — 
for  they  have  a  belief  tha^at  the  sunset  hour  the  evil  spirits  walk 
abroad  among  them. 

I  listened  to  try  to  gather  the  words  of  their  chants;  but  there 
was  a  very  monotonous  repetition  of  one  idea — that  of  sorrow  at 
the  departure  of  some  one. 

Thus  they  sang : 

'      We  chi  noli  lubella  pe  na  beshe. 
"  Oh,  you  will  never  speak  to  us  any  more, 
We  can  not  see  your  face  any  more  ; 
You  will  never  walk  with.ns  again, 
You  will  never  settle  our  palavers  for  us.-' 

And  so  on. 

I  thanked  God  that  I  was  not  a  native  African.  These  poor 
people  lead  dreadful  and  dreary  lives.  Not  only  have  they  to 
fear  their  enemies  among  neighboring  tribes,  as  well  as  the  vari- 
ous accidents  to  which  a  savage  life  is  especially  liable,  such  as 
starvation,  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts,  etc.,  but  their  whole  lives 
are  saddened  and  embittered  by  the  fears  of  evil  spirits,  witch- 
craft, and  other  kindred  superstitions  under  which  they  labor. 
•    After  they  had  chanted  for  half  an  hour,  they  came  over  to  my 


BAKALAI  COOKERY. 


103 


house  with  various  fowls  and  other  food  to  buy  "  white  man's  to- 
bacco" to  cheer  them  on  their  journey.  1  was  very  glad  to  trade 
with  them,  and  bought  fowls,  plantains,  sugar-cane,  and  pine-ap- 
ples. In  "Western  Africa,  men,  women,  and  children  all  smoke. 
They  never  chew,  unless  they  learn  the  practice  of  the  whites ; 
but  smoking  seems  to  be  a  very  grateful  occupation  to  them. 

To-night  I  found  Miengai  and  Makinda,  the  unworthy  sons  of 
King  Mbene,  stealing  my  plantains.  They  had  got  off  once  be- 
fore, so  this  time  I  pitched  into  them  with  my  fists,  and  gave  them 
as  much  punishment  as  I  thought  would  answer  them  as  a  warn- 
ing. 

The  next  morning  all  was  bustle  in  camp.  The  Bakalai  were 
cooking  a  meal  before  setting  out  on  their  travels.  It  is  astonish- 
ing to  see  the  neatness  with  which  these  savages  prepare  their 
food.  I  watched  some  women  preparing  to  boil  plantains,  which 
form  the  bread  of  all  this  region.  One  built  a  bright  fire  between 
two  stones.  The  others  peeled  the  plantains,  then  carefully  wash- 
ed them — just  as  a  clean  white  cook  would — and,  cutting  them  in 
several  pieces,  put  them  in  the  earthen  pot ;  this  was  then  half 
filled  with  water,  covered  over  with  leaves,  over  which  were 
placed  the  banana  peelings,  and  then  the  pot  was  placed  on  the 
stones  to  boil.  Meat  they  had  not,  but  roasted  a  few  ground-nuts 
instead ;  but  the  boiled  plantains  they  ate  with  great  quantities 
of  Cayenne  pepper. 

Next  day  we  had  promised  to  go  among  the  Fans  to  live,  so 
to-day  we  went  hunting  again.  I  had  no  padlock  to  my  house, 
and  was  in  a  quandary  how  to  leave  what  would  certainly  be 
stolen — all  my  provisions.  Fortunately,  I  bethought  me  of  some 
sealing-wax,  and  went  to  work  to  seal  up  my  door  with  pieces  of 
twine,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  rascally  Miengai,  who  saw 
his  game  balked,  but  could  not  help  laughing.  This  evening,  as 
I  sat  in  my  house,  tired,  I  perceived  a  smell  of  burning  meat. 
Stealing  out,  I  found  my  fellows  sitting  about  a  fire  and  roasting 
an  animal  which  I  could  not  recognize.  Their  duty  is  to  bring 
me  all  they  kill,  but  they  evidently  did  not.  They  seemed  much 
ashamed,  and  I  told  them  they  need  come  to  me  for  no  more 
powder. 

The  next  morning  we  moved  off  for  the  Fan  village,  and  now 
I  had  the  opportunity  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  a  matter  I  had  cher- 
ished some  doubt  on  before,  namely,  the  cannibal  practices  of 


THE  KING  OF  THE  CANNIBALS. 


these  people.  I  was  satisfied  but  too  soon.  As  we  entered  the 
town  I  perceived  some  bloody  remains  which  looked  to  me  to  be 
human  ;  but  I  passed  on,  still  incredulous.  Presently  we  passed 
a  woman  who  solved  all  doubt.  She  bore  with  her  a  piece  of  the 
thigh  of  a  human  body,  just  as  we  should  go  to  market  and  carry 
thence  a  roast  or  steak. 

The  whole  village  was  much  excited  and  the  women  and  chil- 
dren badly  scared  at  my  presence.  All  fled  into  the  houses  as  we 
passed  through  what  appeared  the  main  street — a  long  lane — in 
which  I  saw  here  and  there  human  bones  lying  about. 

At  last  we  arrived  at  the  palaver-house.  Here  we  were  left 
alone  for  a  little  while,  though  we  heard  great  shoutings  going  on 
at  a  little  distance.  I  was  told  by  one  of  them  afterward  that 
they  had  been  busy  dividing  the  body  of  a  dead  man,  and  that 
there  was  not  enough  for  all.  The  head,  I  am  told,  is  a  royalty, 
being  saved  for  the  king. 

Presently  they  flocked  in,  and  before  long  we  were  presented  to 
the  king.  This  personage  was  a  ferocious-looking  fellow,  whose 
body,  naked  with  exception  of  the  usual  cloth  about  the  middle, 
made  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  was  painted  red,  and  whose  face, 
chest,  stomach,  and  back  were  tattooed  in  a  rude  but  very  effective 
manner.  He  was  covered  with  charms,  and  was  fully  armed,  as 
were  all  the  Fans  who  now  crowded  the  house  to  see  me. 

I  do  not  know  if  the  king  had  given  himself  a  few  extra  horrid 
touches  to  impress  me ;  but  if  so,  he  missed  his  mark,  for  I  took 
care  to  retain  a  look  of  perfect  impassiveness. 

All  the  Fans  present  wore  queues,  but  the  queue  of  Kdiayai. 
the  king,  was  the  biggest  of  all,  and  terminated  in  two  tails,  in 
which  were  strung  brass  rings,  while  the  top  was  ornamented 
with  white  beads.  Brass  anklets  jingled  as  he  walked.  The 
front  of  his  middle-cloth  was  a  fine  piece  of  tiger-skin.  His  beard 
was  plaited  in  several  plaits,  which  also  contained  white  beads, 
and  stuck  out  stiffly  from  the  body.  His  teeth  were  filed  sharp, 
and  colored  black,  so  that  the  mouth  of  this  old  cannibal,  when  he 
opened  it,  put  me  uncommonly  in  mind  of  a  tomb. 

The  royal  name  is,  as  before  said,  Ndiayai.  The  queen,  who 
accompanied  her  lord,  and  who  was  decidedly  the  ugliest  woman 
I  ever  saw,  and  very  old,  was  called  Mashumba.  She  was  nearly 
naked,  her  only  article  of  dress  being  a  strip  of  the  Fan  cloth, 
dyed  red,  and  about  four  inches  wide.    Her  entire  body  was  tat- 


THE  CANNIBAL  TOWN. 


105 


tooed  in  the  most  fanciful  manner ;  her  skin,  from  long  exposure, 
had  become  rough  and  knotty.  She  wore  two  enormous  iron 
anklets — iron  being  a  very  precious  metal  with  the  Fan — and  had 
in  her  ears  a  pair  of  copper  ear-rings  two  inches  in  diameter,  and 
very  heavy.  These  had  so  weighed  down  the  lobes  of  her  ears 
that  I  could  have  put  my  little  finger  easily  into  the  holes  through 
which  the  rings  were  run. 

I  think  the  king  was  a  little  shaken  at  sight  of  me.  He  had 
been  originally  much  averse  to  the  interview,  from  a  belief  that  he 
would  die  in  three  days  after  seeing  me.  Finally  Mbene  per- 
suaded him. 

Mbene  was  in  his  glory.  He  had  charge  of  a  white  man,  and 
among  a  people  whom  he  himself  feared,  but  who  he  saw  feared, 
in  turn,  me,  whom  he  knew  very  well.  He  told  the  Fan  king 
that  he  had  brought  him  a  spirit,  or  white  man,  who  had  come 
many  thousands  of  miles  across  the  big  loater  to  see  the  Fans. 

The  king  replied  that  this  was  well,  and  sent  off  his  queen — 
the  ugly  one — to  prepare  me  a  house.  And  after  a  few  more 
civilities,  but  very  little  formality  of  any  kind,  his  majesty  with- 
drew. 

Presently  I  was  conducted  to  my  house.  The  village  was  a 
new  one,  and  consisted  mostly  of  a  single  street  about  800  yards 
long,  on  which  were  built  the  houses.  The  latter  were  small,  be- 
ing only  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  five  or  six  wide,  and  four  or  five 
in  height,  with  slanting  roofs.  They  were  made  of  bark,  and  the 
roofs  were  of  a  kind  of  matting  made  of  the  leaves  of  a  palm- 
tree.  The  doors  run  up  to  the  eaves,  about  four  feet  high,  and 
there  were  no  windows.  In  these  houses  they  cook,  eat,  sleep, 
and  keep  their  store  of  provisions,  chief  of  which  is  the  smoked 
game  and  smoked  human  flesh,  hung  up  to  the  rafters. 

All  the  Fan  villages  are  strongly  fenced  or  palisadoed ;  and  by 
night  they  keep  a  careful  watch.  They  have  also  a  little  native 
dog,  whose  sharp  bark  is  the  signal  of  some  one  approaching  from 
without.  In  the  villages  they  are  neat  and  clean,  the  street  be- 
ing swept,  and  all  garbage — except,  indeed,  the  well-picked  bones 
of  their  human  subjects — is  thrown  out. 

After  visiting  the  house  assigned  me,  I  was  taken  through  the 
town,  where  I  saw  more  dreadful  signs  of  cannibalism  in  piles 
of  human  bones,  mixed  up  with  other  offal,  thrown  at  the  sides 
of  several  houses.    I  find  that  the  men,  though  viewing  me  with 


106 


SIGNS  OF  CANNIBALISM. 


great  curiosity,  are  not  any  longer  afraid  of  me,  and  even  the 
women  stand  while  I  approach  them.  They  are  a  more  manly 
and  courageous  race  than  the  tribes  toward  the  coast. 

Then  we  returned  to  the  king,  where  we  were  presented  to 
his  four  wives,  who  showed  uncommon  dislike  to  my  presence. 
Mbene  is  in  great  glee,  as  wherever  he  goes  he  is  surrounded  with 
Fan  fellows,  who  praise  him  for  being  the  friend  of  white  men. 
Indeed,  he  has  always  been  proud  of  this,  and  tells  now,  with  no 
little  pleasure,  to  the  astonished  Fan,  that  two  before  me  have  vis- 
ited him,  which  is  a  fact. 

Toward  evening  we  retired  to  our  houses.  I  called  the  king 
into  mine,  and  gave  him  a  large  bunch  of  white  beads,  a  looking- 
glass,  a  file,  fire-steel,  and  some  gun-flints.  His  face  was  fairly 
illuminated  with  joy,  and  he  took  his  leave,  highly  pleased.  Pres- 
ently afterward  one  of  the  queens  brought  me  a  basket  full  of 
bananas.  Some  of  these  were  already  cooked,  and  these  I  at 
once  refused,  having  a  horrid  loathing  of  the  flesh-pots  of  these 
people.  I  stated  at  once  my  fixed  purpose  to  have  all  cooking 
done  for  me  in  my  own  kettles,  and  mean  to  be  involved  in  no 
man-eating — even  at  second-hand. 

Shortly  after  sunset  all  became  silent  in  the  village,  and  every 
body  seemed  inclined  to  go  to  sleep.  I  barred  my  door  as  well 
as  I  could  with  my  chest,  and  lying  down  on  the  dreadful  bed 
which  was  provided  for  me,  placed  my  gun  by  my  side  ready  for 
use.  For  though  they  be  ever  so  friendly,  I  can  not  get  it  out  of 
my  head  that  these  people  not  only  kill  people,  but  eat  them,  and 
that  some  gastronomic  caprice  might  tempt  them  to  have  a  white 
man  for  dinner  while  I  am  among  them. 

I  said  dreadful  bed.  It  was  a  frame  of  bamboos,  each  about  an 
inch  in  diameter.  Of  course  it  was  rough ;  and  I  found  my  bones 
aching  so  in  the  morning  that  I  might  as  well  have  slept  on  a 
nail-heap  or  on  a  pile  of  cannon  balls.  But  I  slept,  and  was  not 
interrupted,  though,  on  going  out  next  morning,  I  saw  a  pile  of 
ribs,  leg  and  arm  bones,  and  skulls  (human)  piled  up  at  the  back 
of  my  house,  which  looked  horrid  enough  to  me.  In  fact,  symp- 
toms of  cannibalism  stare  me  in  the  face  wherever  I  go,  and  I  can 
no  longer  doubt. 

I  had  told  the  king  that  I  should  like  to  see  him  dressed  in 
war  array,  so  this  morning  (September  1st)  he  called  upon  me 
with  his  queen  and  a  cortege  of  his  chiefs.    The  body  was  again 


ARMS  OF  THE  CANNIBALS. 


107 


painted  red ;  he  wore  a  shield  of  elephant's  hide,  and  was  armed 
for  the  offensive  with  three  spears  and  a  little  bag  of  poisoned  ar- 
rows. His  head  was  splendidly  decorated  with  the  red  feathers  of 
the  touracaw  (corythaix) ;  his  teeth  were  painted  very  black ;  and 
his  whole  body  was  covered  with  greegrees  and  fetiches,  to  protect 
him  from  death  by  spears,  guns,  and  witches. 

Every  body  admired  the"  head-dress  of  Mashvimba,  the  queen. 
It  was  a  cap  of  white  beads.  These  beads  form  the  most  desired 
ornaments  of  the  blacks,  and,  with  tobacco  and  powder,  are  the 
best  trade  a  travelewcan  take  into  the  interior. 

Ndiayai  remarked  that,  while  surrounded  by  his  warriors,  he 
feared  nothing,  and  spoke  of  the  bravery  of  his  people ;  and  I  am 
ready  to  believe  them  an  unusually  warlike  tribe.  They  pointed 
out  one  man  to  me  who  bore  the  name  of  "  Tiger"  because  of  his 
bravery.  He  had  killed  many  of  their  enemies,  and  also  many 
elephants. 


it  FAN  BOWMAN. 

They  have  a  great  diversity  of  arms.  Among  the  crowd  to- 
day I  saw  men  armed  with  cross-bows,  from  which  are  shot  ei- 
ther iron-headed  arrows,  or  the  little  insignificant-looking,  but 
really  most  deadly  poison-tipped  arrows.  These  are  only  slender, 
harmless  reeds,  a  foot  long,  whose  sharpened  ends  are  dipped  into 
a  deadly  vegetable  poison  which  these  people  know  how  to  make. 
The  arrows  are  so  light  that  they  would  blow  away  if  simply  laid 
in  the  groove  of  the  bow.  To  prevent  this  they  use  a  kind  of 
sticky  gum,  a  lump  of  which  is  kept  on  the  under  side  of  the  bow, 
and  with  which  a  small  spot  in  the  groove  is  lightly  rubbed.  The 


108 


POISONED  ARROWS. 


handle  of  the  bow  is  ingeniously  split,  and  by  a  little  peg,  which 
acts  as  a  trigger,  the  bow-string  is  disengaged,  and,  as  the  spring 
is  very  strong,  sends  the  arrow  to  a  great  distance,  and,  light  as  it 
is,  with  great  force.  But  the  merest  puncture  kills  inevitably. 
They  are  good  marksmen  with  their  bows ;  and  these  require,  be- 
sides, great  strength  to  bend.  They  have  to  sit  on  their  haunches, 
and  apply  both  feet  to  the  middle  of  the  bow,  while  they  pull  with 
all  their  strength  on  the  string  to  bend  it  back. 

The  larger  arrows  have  an  iron  head,  some- 
thing like  the  sharp  barbs  of  a  harpoon.  These 
are  used  for  hunting  wild  beasts,  and  are  about 
two  feet  long.  But  the  more  deadly  weapon  is 
the  little  insignificant  stick  of  bamboo,  not  more 
than  twelve  inches  long,  and  simply  sharpened 
at  one  end.  This  is  the  famed  poison-arrow — 
a  missile  which  bears  death  wherever  it  touch- 
es, if  only  it  pricks  a  pin's-point  of  blood.  The 
poison  is  made  of  the  juices  of  a  plant  which 
was  not  shown  me.  They  dip  the  sharp  ends 
of  the  arrows  several  times  in  this  sap,  and  let 
it  get  thoroughly  dried  into  the  wood.  It  gives 
the  point  a  red  color.  The  arrows  are  very 
carefully  kept  in  a  little  bag,  made  neatly  of  the 
skin  of  some  wild  animal.  They  are  much 
dreaded  among  the  tribes  about  here,  as  they 
can  be  thrown  or  projected  with  such  power  as 
to  take  effect  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  yards,  and 
with  such  velocity  that  you  can  not  see  them  at 
all  till  they  are  spent.  This  I  have  often  proved 
myself.  There  is  no  cure  for  a  wound  from  one  of  these  harm- 
less-looking little  sticks — death  follows  in  a  very  short  time. 

Some  of  the  Fans  bore  on  their  shoulders  the  terrible  war-axe 
figured  opposite,  one  blow  of  which  quite  suffices  to  split  a  human 
skull.  Some  of  these  axes,  as  well  as  their  spears  and  other  iron- 
work, were  beautifully  ornamented  with  scroll-work,  and  wrought 
in  graceful  lines  and  curves  which  spoke  well  for  their  artisans. 

The  war-knife,  which  hangs  by  the  side,  is  a  terrible  weapon 
for  a  hand-to-hand  conflict,  and,  as  they  explained  to  me,  is  de- 
signed to  thrust  through  the  enemy's  body.  There  is  another 
huge  knife  also  worn  by  some  of  the  men  now  in  the  crowd  be- 


roisoNEl)  ABBOWBi 


TOMAHAWK. 


109 


FAN  KNIFE  AND  AXES. 

1.  Tomahawk.  2.  Knife  three  feet  long.  3.  Sheath.  4.  War-axe. 

fore  me.  This  is  over  a  foot  long,  by  about  eight  inches  wide, 
and  is  used  to  cut  down  through  the  shoulders  of  an  adversary. 
It  must  do  tremendous  execution. 

Then  there  is  a  very  singular  pointed  axe,  which  is  thrown 
from  a  distance,  as  American  Indians  are  said  to  use  the  toma- 
hawk. The  figure  (1)  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  curious 
shape  of  this  weapon.  When  thrown  it  strikes  with  the  point 
down,  and  inflicts  a  terrible  wound.  They  use  it  with  great  dex- 
terity. The  object  aimed  at  with  this  axe  is  the  head.  The 
point  penetrates  to  the  brain,  and  kills  the  victim  immediately ; 
and  then  the  round  edge  of  the  axe  is  used  to  cut  the  head  off, 
which  is  borne  off  by  the  victor  as  a  trophy. 

The  spears,  which  are  six  to  seven  feet  in  length,  are  thrown 
by  the  natives  with  great  force,  and  with  an  accuracy  of  aim 
which  never  ceased  to  surprise  me.  They  make  the  long  slender 
rod  fairly  whistle  through  the  air.  Most  of  them  can  throw  a 
spear  effectively  to  the  distance  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  yards. 

Most  of  the  knives  and  axes  were  ingeniously  sheathed  in  cov- 
ers made  of  snake-skins,  or  human  skin  taken  from  some  victim 


110 


GRAND  CELEBRATION. 


of  battle.  Many  of  these  sheaths  are  ingeniously  made,  and  arc 
slung  round  the  neck  by  cords,  which  permit  the  weapon  to  hang 
at  the  side  out  of  the  wearer's  way. 

Though  so  warlike,  they  have  no  armor.  In  fact,  their  work- 
ing in  iron  is  as  yet  too  rude  for  such  a  luxury.  The  only  weap- 
on of  defense  is  the  huge  shield  of  elephant's  hide ;  but  this  is 
even  bullet-proof ;  and  as  it  is  very  large — three  and  a  half  feet 
long  by  two  and  a  half  broad — it  suffices  to  cover  the  whole  body. 

Besides  their  weapons,  many  of  .the  men  wore  a  smaller  knife 
— but  also  rather  unwieldy — which  served  the  various  offices  of 
a  jack-knive,  a  hatchet,  and  a  table-knife.  But,  though  rude  in 
shape,  they  used  it  with  great  dexterity. 

It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  so  many  stalwart,  martial,  fierce- 
looking  fellows,  fully  armed  and  ready  for  any  desperate  foray, 
gathered  in  one  assemblage.  Finer  looking  men  I  never  saw : 
and  I  could  well  believe  them  brave,  did  not  the  completeness  of 
their  armory  prove  that  war  is  a  favorite  pastime  with  them.  In 
fact,  they  are  dreaded  by  all  their  neighbors,  and,  if  they  were 
only  animated  by  the  spirit  of  conquest,  would  soon  make  short 
work  of  the  tribes  between  them  and  the  coast. 

To-day  several  hundred  Fans  from  the  surrounding  village 
came  in  to  see  me.  Okolo,  a  great  king  among  them,  gave  me 
his  knife,  saying  it  had  already  killed  a  man.  To-night  there  is 
a  great  dance  in  honor  of  the  arrival  of  a  spirit  (myself)  among 
them.  This  dance  was  the  wildest  scene  I  ever  saw.  Every 
body  was  there ;  and  I,  in  whose  honor  the  affair  was,  had  to  as- 
sist by  my  presence.  The  only  music  was  that  of  a  rude  drum — 
an  instrument  made  of  a  certain  kind  of  wood,  and  of  deer  or 
goat  skins.  The  cylinder  was  about  four  feet  long,  and  ten  inch- 
es in  diameter  at  one  end,  but  only  seven  at  the  other.  The 
wood  was  hollowed  out  quite  thin,  and  the  skin  stretched  over 
tightly.  To  beat  it  the  drummer  held  it  slantingly  between  his 
legs,  and  witfh  two  sticks  beat  furiously  upon  the  upper,  which 
was  the  larger  end  of  the  cylinder. 

This  music  was  accompanied  with  singing,  which  was  less  me- 
lodious even  than  the  drumming.  As  for  the  dancing,  it  was  an 
indescribable  mixture  of  wildness  and  indecency. 

One  of  the  consequences  of  the  dance  is  that  we  are  to  have  a 
great  elephant-hunt,  and  women  are  busied  in  cooking  food,  and 
men  in  preparing  arms  for  this  great  game.    The  few  guns  own- 


ed  by  the  Fans  have  been  carefully  furbished  up,  and  I  have  pre- 
pared my  two  for  action,  expecting  great  things  from  such  des- 
perate hunters  as  these. 


112 


ELEPHANT-TKAPS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  grand  Hunt. — Fan  Mode  of  capturing  Elephants. — A  pitched  Battle. — Man 
killed  by  an  Elephant. — Grace  before  Meat  among  the  Fan. — The  use  of  a  dead 
Hunter. — Habits  of  the  Elephant. — Hanou,  or  Elephant-trap. — Elephant  Meat. — 
Condition  of  Women. — Marriage  Ceremonies. — A  Fan  Wedding. — Musical  In- 
strument.— Corpse  brought  in  to  be  eaten. — Human  Flesh  prized. — Stories  of 
Fan  Cannibalism. — Encroachments  westward  of  the  Fans. — Their  Origin. — 
Color. — Tattooing. — Trade. — Iron-smelting. — Fan  Blacksmiths.  — Bellows  and 
other  Tools. — Pottery. — Agriculture. — Food. — Slavery. — The  Oshebo. — Beyond. 
— Superstitions. — Sorcery. — Charms. — Idols. 

About  five  hundred  men  assembled  for  the  hunt  on  the  morn- 
ing of  September  4th.  They  were  divided  into  different  parties, 
each  of  which  set  out  for  the  part  of  the  forest  assigned  it.  Mean- 
time Ndiayai  and  I  went  together  to  the  general  rendezvous,  a  walk 
of  about  six  hours  through  the  woody  and  mountainous  country 
which  I  have  already  described.  The  march  was  conducted  in 
great  silence,  and  every  care  was  taken  not  to  alarm  any  game 
which  might  be  near  our  track.  Arrived  at  our  halting-place, 
we  immediately  began  to  build  our  camp,  and  had  hardly  got  our 
shelters  constructed  when  it  began  to  rain. 

The  next  morning  we  set  out  for  the  hunting-ground.  And 
here  a  most  remarkable  sight  presented  itself.  The  elephant,  like 
most  other  great  beasts,  has  no  regular  walk  or  path,  but  strays 
somewhat  at  random  through  the  woods  in  search  of  food ;  but  it 
is  his  habit,  when  pleased  with  a  neighborhood,  to  remain  there 
for  a  considerable  time,  nor  let  any  small  matter  drive  him  away. 
Now  of  this  the  Fan  take  advantage.  The  forests  here  are  full 
of  rough,  strong,  climbing  plants,  which  you  will  see  running  up 
to  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees.  These  they  twist  together,  and 
with  them  ingeniously,  but  with  much  labor,  construct  a  kiud  of 
huge  fence  or  obstruction,  not  sufficient  to  hold  the  elephant, 
but  quite  strong  enough  to  check  him  in  his  flight  and  entangle 
him  in  the  meshes  till  the  hunters  can  have  time  to  kill  him. 
Once  caught,  they  quietly  surround  the  huge  beast,  and  put  an 
end  to  his  struggles  by  incessant  discharges  of  their  spears  and 
guns. 


MAN  KILLED  BY  AN  ELEPHANT. 


115 


Presently  a  kind  of  hunting-horn  was  sounded,  and  the  chase 
began.  Parties  were  stationed  at  different  parts  of  the  barrier  or 
"  tangle,"  as  we  will  call  it,  which  had  an  astonishing  extent,  and 
must  have  cost  much  toil  to  make.  Others  stole  through  the 
woods  in  silence  and  looked  for  their  prey. 

"When  they  find  an  elephant  they  approach  very  carefully. 
The  object  is  to  scare  him  and  make  him  run  toward  some  part 
of  the  barrier — generally  not  far  off.  To  accomplish  this,  they 
often  crawled  at  their  full  length  along  the  ground,  just  like 
snakes,  and  with  astonishing  swiftness. 

The  first  motion  of  the  animal  is  flight.  He  rushes  ahead  al- 
most blindly,  but  is  brought  up  by  the  barrier  of  vines.  En- 
raged, and  still  more  terrified,  he  tears  every  thing  with  his  trunk 
and  feet.  But  in  vain ;  the  tough  vines,  nowhere  fastened,  give 
to  every  blow,  and  the  more  he  labors  the  more  fatally  he  is  held. 

Meantime,  at  the  first  rush  of  the  elephant  the  natives  crowd 
round ;  and  while  he  is  struggling  in  their  toils  they  are  plying 
him  with  spears,  till  often  the  poor  wounded  beast  looks  like  a 
huge  porcupine.  This  spearing  does  not  cease  till  they  have  kill- 
ed their  prey. 

To-day  we  killed  four  elephants  in  this  way.  It  was  quite  an 
exciting  time  to  the  natives,  though  I  confess  of  less  interest  to 
me  after  I  had  seen  the  first  killed.  It  seemed  monotonous,  and 
somewhat  unfair ;  nevertheless,  there  is  sufficient  danger  about  it. 
The  elephants  about  here  have  the  reputation  of  holding  man  in 
slight  fear,  and  the  approach  and  attack  are  work  for  the  greatest 
courage  and  presence  of  mind.  Even  then  fatal  accidents  occur. 
To-day  a  man  was  killed.  I  was  not  present  at  the  accident,  but 
he  seems  to  have  lost  his  presence  of  mind,  and  when  the  ele- 
phant charged  with  great  fury  at  a  crowd  of  assailants,  he  was 
caught  and  instantly  trampled  under  foot. 

When  his  companions  saw  that  he  was  dead,  they  in  turn  grew 
furious,  and  actually  pursued  the  elephant,  which  was  making  its 
escape,  charged  upon  it,  and  so  beset  it  with  spears  that  in  a  few 
minutes  it  was  dead.  I  never  saw  men  so  excited  with  rage. 
They  began  even  to  cut  the  dead  animal  to  pieces  for  revenge. 

They  have  certain  precautionary  rules  for  these  hunts,  which 
show  that  they  understand  the  animal.  For  instance,  they  say 
you  must  never  approach  an  elephant  but  from  behind,  as  he 
can  not  turn  very  fast,  and  you  have  time  to  make  your  escape 


no 


A  CANNIBAL  "GRACE  BEFORE  MEAT. 


after  firing.  Great  care  is  necessary  that  the  vines,  -which  are  so 
fatal  to  the  elephant,  do  not  also  catch  their  enemies.  I  was  told 
that  it  was  not  unfrequent  for  a  man  to  be  thus  hopelessly  en- 
tangled, and  then  deliberately  killed  by  the  elephant.  Often  it 
becomes  necessary  for  the  pursuers  to  retreat,  and,  as  they  can 
scarce  outrun  the  great  heavy  animal,  at  such  times  all  hands 
take  refuge  in  trees,  which  they  climb  with  astonishing  swiftness 
— almost  like  monkeys.  Even  then,  however,  a  man  must  select 
a  stout  tree ;  and  Ndiayai  told  me  of  a  case  where  a  small  sapling 
was  pulled  down  by  an  enraged  beast,  and  the  occupant  had  a 
narrow  escape  for  his  life. 

Now  followed  the  rites  with  which  they  offer  thanks  for  a  good 
day's  hunt  to  the  idol  who,  in  their  behef,  guides  their  fortunes. 
Without  these  preliminary  rites  no  meat  is  touched. 

First  comes  the  whole  party  and  dances  around  the  elephant, 
while  the  medicine  or  greegree  men  cut  off  a  portion — invariably 
from  one  of  the  hind  legs — of  each  elephant.  This  was  the  meat 
intended  for  an  offering  to  the  idol.  This  meat  was  put  into  bas- 
kets, afterward  to  be  cooked  under  the  direct  superintendence  of 
the  greegree  man  and  the  men  who  killed  the  particular  animal. 
Finally,  the  whole  party  danced  about  the  baskets  and  sung 
songs  to  their  idol,  begging  for  another  such  good  hunt  as  this 
one.  v 

The  king  was  of  opinion  that  if  this  ceremony  were  neglected 
they  would  get  nothing  next  time ;  but  thought  their  songs  and 
dances  would  please  the  idol,  who  would  give  them  even  more 
elephants  in  future. 

The  sacrificial  meats  are  taken  into  the  woods,  where  it  is 
probable  they  regale  some  panther — if  the  shrewd  medicine-man 
does  not  himself  come  and  eat  them.  And  the  body  of  the  poor 
fellow  who  was  killed  to-day  is,  I  am  told,  to  be  sent  to  another 
Fan  village,  to  be  sold  and  eaten.  This  seems  the  proper  and  usual 
end  of  the  Fans. 

The  elephants  were  cut  up  the  next  day,  and  the  meat  was  all 
hung  up  to  be  smoked,  which  these  natives  understand  how  to  do. 

The  persistence  with  which  the  elephant  in  this  part  of  the 
country  sticks  to  a  spot  which  affords  him  such  leaves  as  he  best 
likes,  is  very  remarkable.  It  is  in  part,  probably,  from  a  scarcity 
of  his  favorite  trees.  I  have  seen  them  remain  for  days  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  such  a  set  of  fences  as  I  have  described, 
t 


ELEPHANT  MEAT. 


117 


where  the  natives,  of  course,  each  day  killed  some.  Sometimes, 
too,  they  will  almost  enter  the  towns,  pulling  down  the  small 
trees,  and  breaking  branches  off  the  larger,  to  get  the  food  which 
best  suits  their  taste.  Often,  however,  they  leave  a  neighbor- 
hood at  the  first  attack,  when  the  natives  follow  and  make  new 
fences. 

They  have  another  way,  which  I  saw  used  in  the  woods  this 
day,  and  have  often  seen  since,  to  kill  elephants.  They  discover  a 
walk  or  path  through  which  it  is  likely  that  a  herd  or  single  ani- 
mal will  soon  pass.  Then  they  take  a  piece  of  very  heavy  wood, 
which  the  Bakalai  call  hanou,  and  trice  it  up  into  a  high  tree, 
where  it  hangs,  with  a  sharp  point,  armed  with  iron,  pointing 
downward.  It  is  suspended  by  a  rope,  which  is  so  arranged  that 
the  instant  the  elephant  touches  it — which  he  can  not  help  doing 
if  he  passes  under  the  hanou — it  is  loosed,  and  falls  with  tremen- 
dous force  on  to  his  back,  the  iron  point  wounding  him,  and  the 
heavy  weight  generally  breaking  his  spine. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  elephant  is  found  only  in  the 
plains ;  but,  from  various  observations  in  this  region,  I  conclude 
that  the  animal  also  frequents  the  mountains  and  rough  high 
country.  Their  tracks  are  frequently  met  with  among  the  mount- 
ains, and  several  times  I  have  scarcely  been  able  to  believe  my 
eyes  when  I  saw  plainly  the  footprints  of  the  huge  animal  in 
spots  which  it  could  only  have  attained  by  the  ascent  of  almost 
precipitous  hill-sides — ascents  which  we  found  it  difficult  to  make 
ourselves. 

The  elephant  meat,  of  which  the  Fan  seem  to  be  very  fond, 
and  which  they  have  been  cooking  and  smoking  for  three  days 
now,  is  the  toughest  and  most  disagreeable  meat  I  ever  tasted.  I 
can  not  explain  its  taste,  because  we  have  no  flesh  which  tastes 
like  it ;  but  it  seems  full  of  muscular  fibre  or  gristle,  and  when  it 
has  been  boiled  for  two  days,  twelve  hours  each  day,  it  is  still 
tough.  The  flavor  is  not  unpleasant ;  but,  though  I  have  tried 
at  different  times  to  accustom  myself  to  it,  I  found  only  that  my 
disgust  grew. 

It  rained  all  the  time  we  were  in  the  bush,  which  made  me 
rather  glad  when  the  time  came  for  our  return  to  the  town,  where 
I  once  more  got  on  dry  clothes  and  slept  in  a  dry  place. 

As  we  were  returning,  I  learned  from  the  king  a  very  curious 
particular  of  the  Fan  customs,  which  I  did  not  suspect  any  of 


118 


MARRIAGE  CUSTOMS. 


these  West  African  tribes  of.  It  appears  that  they  never  marry 
their  girls  before  they  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  puberty,  and 
that  they  have  a  care  for  the  chastity  of  their  young  women.  In 
most  of  the  tribes  it  is  common  for  children  of  three  or  four 
years  to  be  married  to  men  grown — who,  of  course,  have  thence- 
forth a  claim  on  all  the  relatives  of  this  baby-wife — and  it  is  not 
;it  all  infrequent  to  find  a  female  child  betrothed  at  birth.  I  had 
already  remarked,  what  I  suppose  is  the  natural  result  of  the  Fan 
custom,  that  these  people  have  more  children  by  far  than  either 
the  Shekiani,  Bakalai,  Mbicho,  Mbondemo,  Mbousha,  or  any  of  the 
interior  tribes  I  have  seen  north  of  the  equator.  Those  tribes  are 
gradually  but  surely  disappearing,  but  the  Fans  seem  likely  to 
survive. 

The  Fan  marriage  ceremonies  are  very  rude,  but  are  a  time  of 
great  jollity.  Of  course,  the  husband  has  to  buy  his  wife,  and  the 
shrewd  father  makes  a  bargain  with  him  as  well  as  he  can,  put- 
ting on  a  great  price  if  the  man's  love  is  very  ardent;  so  that  I 
was  told  it  sometimes  took  years  before  a  man  could  buy  and 
marry  his  wife.  If  trade  with  the  sea-shore  were  better  it  would 
not  be  so  hard ;  but  as  "  trade"  is  the  most  precious  thing,  "  trade- 
goods"  are  always  expected  as  payment  for  a  wife.  Hence  their 
bravery  as  hunters ;  for  ivory  is  one  of  the  chief  articles  they  send 
down  to  the  coast ;  and  though,  after  a  hunt  like  that  before  re- 
lated, the  meat  is  shared,  the  ivory  belongs  to  those  who  killed 
the  animal,  who  have,  however,  to  divide  the  proceeds  with  their 
immediate  relatives.  Copper  and  brass  rings,  white  beads,  and 
the  copper  pans  called  neptunes  on  the  coast,  are  the  chief  articles 
of  trade  which  are  a  legal  tender  for  a  wife  among  the  Fans. 

When  a  wedding  is  in  prospect  the  friends  of  the  happy  couple 
spend  many  days  in  obtaining  and  laying  in  great  stores  of  pro- 
visions— chiefly  elephant  meat,  smoked,  and  palm  wine.  Thev 
engage  hunters  to  keep  urj  the  supply,  and  accumulate  enough  to 
feed  the  great  numbers  who  are  expected  to  come.  When  all  is 
ready  the  whole  town  assembles,  and,  without  any  ceremony,  but 
merely  as  a  public  sale,  as  it  were,  the  father  hands  his  daughter 
to  her  husband,  who  has  generally  already  paid  her  price. 

The  "  happy  pair"  are,  of  course,  dressed  finely  for  the  occasion. 
The  bridegroom  is  attired  in  a  feather  head-dress  of  glowing  col- 
ors ;  his  body  is  oiled ;  his  teeth  are  black  and  polished  as  ebony ; 
his  huge  knife  hangs  at  his  side ;  and  if  he  can  kill  a  leopard  or 


FAN  MUSIC. 


119 


panther,  or  other  rare  animal,  its  skin  is  wrapped  about  his  mid- 
dle in  a  graceful  way.  The  bride  is  very  simply  dressed,  or  rath- 
er she  is  (like  all  the  Fan  women)  not  dressed  at  all.  But  for 
this  occasion  she  is  ornamented  with  as  many  bracelets  as  she  can 
get,  of  brass  or  copper,  and  wears  her  woolly  locks  full  of  white 
beads. 

When  all  are  assembled,  and  the  bride  is  handed  over  to  her 
lord,  a  general  jollification  ensues,  which  lasts  sometimes  for  many 
days.  They  eat  elephant  meat,  get  tipsy  on  palm  wine,  dance, 
sing,  and  seem  to  enjoy  themselves  very  much,  until  at  last  wine 
grows  scarce,  and  the  crowd  returns  to  an  unwilling  sobriety. 

Their  dances  I  have  already  alluded  to,  as  well  as  the  drum 
which  figures  on  such  occasions,  and  which  is  the  more  highly 
valued  the  greater  noise  it  makes.  But  I  found  them  also  play- 
ing upon  an  instrument  of  another  kind,  and  of  so  ingenious  con- 
struction that  it  is  not  altogether  unworthy  of  more  civilized  peo- 
ple. This,  which  they  call  the  handja,  consists  of  a  light  reed 
frame,  3  feet  long  by  1-J  broad,  into  which  are  set  and  securely 


THE  HANDJA. 

fastened  a  set  of  hollow  gourds  covered  by  strips  of  a  hard  red 
wood  found  in  the  forests.  Each  of  these  cylinders  is  of  a  differ- 
ent size,  and  all  are  so  graduated  that  the  set  form  a  regular  se- 
ries of  notes.  A  handja  generally  contains  seven.  The  perform- 
er sits  down,  lays  the  frame  across  his  knees,  and  strikes  the  strips 
lightly  with  a  stick.  There  are  two  sticks,  one  hard,  the  other 
soft,  and  the  principle  is  the  same  on  which  music  has  been  pro- 
duced in  France  from  a  series  of  glasses.  The  tone  is  very  clear 
and  good ;  and  though  their  tunes  are  very  rude,  they  can  play 
them  with  considerable  skill. 


120 


CANNIBAL  PRACTICES. 


While  I  was  talking  to  the  king  to-day  (9th),  some  Fan? 
brought  in  a  dead  body  which  they  had  bought  in  a  neighboring 
town,  and  which  was  now  to  be  divided.  I  could  see  that  the 
man  had  died  of  some  disease.  I  confess  I  could  not  bear  to  stay 
for  the  cutting  up  of  the  body,  but  retreated  when  all  was  ready. 
It  made  me  sick  all  over.  I  remained  till  the  infernal  scene  was 
about  to  begin,  and  then  retreated.  Afterward  I  could  hear  them 
from  my  house  growing  noisy  over  the  division. 

This  is  a  form  of  cannibalism — eating  those  who  liave  died 
of  sickness — of  which  I  had  never  heard  in  any  people,  so  that  I 
determined  to  inquire  if  it  were  indeed  a  general  custom,  or  mere- 
ly an  exceptional  freak.  They  spoke  without  embarrassment 
about  the  whole  matter,  and  I  was  informed  that  they  constantly 
buy  the  dead  of  the  Osheba  tribe,  who,  in  return,  buy  theirs. 
They  also  buy  the  dead  of  other  families  in  their  own  tribes,  and. 
besides  this,  get  the  bodies  of  a  great  many  slaves  from  the  Mbi- 
chos  and  Mbondemos,  for  which  they  readily  give  ivory,  at  the 
rate  of  a  small  tusk  for  a  body. 

Until  to-day  I  never  could  believe  two  stories  —  both  well 
authenticated,  but  seeming  quite  impossible  to  any  one  unac- 
quainted with  this  people — which  are  told  of  them  on  the  Gaboon. 
A  party  of  Fans  who  came  down  to  the  sea-shore  once  to  see  the 
sea  actually  stole  a  freshly-buried  body  from  the  cemetery,  and 
cooked  it  and  ate  it  among  them ;  and  another  party  took  anoth- 
er body,  conveyed  it  into  the  woods,  cut  it  up,  and  smoked  the 
flesh,  which  they  carried  away  with  them.  The  circumstances 
made  a  great  fuss  among  the  Mpongwe,  and  even  the  mission- 
aries heard  of  it,  but  I  never  credited  the  stories  till  now,  though 
the  facts  were  well  authenticated  by  witnesses.*  In  fact,  the  Fans 
seem  regular  ghouls,  only  they  practice  their  horrid  custom  un- 
blushingly  and  in  open  day,  and  have  no  shame  about  it.  I  have 
seen  here  knives  covered  with  human  skin,  which  their  owners 
valued  very  highly. 

To-day  the  queen  brought  me  some  boiled  plantain,  which 

*  These  stories  seem  so  incredible,  and  even  the  fact  that  these  people  acrually 
bny  and  eat  the  corpses  of  their  neighbors  —  resting  as  it  does  upon  my  state- 
ment alone — has  excited  so  much  evident  disbelief  among  friends  in  this  country  to 
whom  I  have  mentioned  this  custom,  that  I  am  very  glad  to  be  able  to  avail  myself 
of  the  concurrent  testimony  of  a  friend,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Walker,  of  the  Gaboon  mission, 
who  authorizes  me  to  say  that  he  vouches  for  the  entire  truth  of  the  two  stories 
above  related. 


ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE  FANS. 


121 


looked  very  nice ;  but  the  fear  lest  she  should  have  cooked  it  in 
some  pot  where  a  man  had  been  cooked  before — which  was  most 
likely  the  case — made  me  unable  to  eat  it.  On  these  journeys  1 
have  fortunately  taken  with  me  sufficient  pots  to  do  my  own 
cooking. 

They  are  the  finest,  bravest-looking  set  of  negroes  I  have  seen 
in  the  interior,  and  eating  human  flesh  seems  to  agree  with  them, 
though  I  afterward  saw  other  Fan  tribes  whose  members  had  not 
the  fine  air  of  these  mountaineers.  As  every  where  else,  location 
seems  to  have  much  to  do  with  it.  These  were  living  among  the 
mountains,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  hardy  mountaineers. 

The  strangest  thing  about  the  Fans  (next  to  their  hideous  can- 
nibalism) is  their  constant  encroachments  upon  the  land  west- 
ward. Year  by  year  tribes  of  Fan  are  found  nearer  the  sea- 
shore ;  town  after  town  is  being  settled  by  them  on  the  banks  of 
the  Gaboon ;  and  in  the  country  between  the  Gaboon  and  the 
Moondah  they  have  come  down  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Point 
Olinda.  In  fact  they  seem  a  stirring  race,  and  more  enterprising 
than  the  Bakalai,  Mbondemo,  Mbicho,  and  even  the  Mpongwe ; 
and  I  think  will  leave  these  gradually  behind  and  take  possession 
themselves  of  the  whole  line  of  sea-shore — when  they  may  degen- 
erate, though  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  will  not. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  these  Fans  are,  in  fact,  the  Giaghi  or 
Jaga,  who  formerly  invaded  the  kingdom  of  Congo,  and  who  seem 
to  have  been  much  such  a  people.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  in 
my  later  journeys  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Nazareth,  and  into  the 
interior,  south  of  the  present  location  of  the  Fans,  I  could  find  no 
tribes  who  knew  any  thing  of  such  a  people.  Now  the  migration 
of  the  Fans  is  so  slow  a  process  that,  whichever  way  they  move,  it 
is  impossible  they  should  not  be  remembered  by  the  tribes  among 
whose  villages  they  have  scattered  their  own;  and  were  they, 
indeed,  the  Jaga  of  the  south,  I  must  have  come  on  their  traces 
somewhere.  Moreover,  all  the  Fans,  when  asked  whence  they 
came,  point  to  the  northeast.  No  matter  how  many  different  met; 
or  villages  you  put  this  question  to,  the  answer  is  always  the 
same. 

The  Fans  are  in  color  dark  brown  rather  than  black,  but  have, 
as  before  said,  curly  or  woolly  hair.  They  are  lighter  in  color 
than  the  Bakalai,  Shekiani,  and  other  surrounding  tribes.  They 
tattoo  themselves  more  than  any  of  the  other  tribes  I  have  met 


122 


IRON-WORKS. 


north  of  the  equator,  but  not  so  much  as  some  to  the  south.  The 
men  are  less  disfigured  in  this  way  than  the  women,  who  take 
great  pride  in  having  their  breasts  and  abdomen  entirely  cover- 
ed with  the  blue  lines  and  curves.  Their  cheeks  also  are  fully 
marked  in  various  figures,  and  this,  with  the  immense  copper  and 
iron  rings  which  weigh  down  the  lobes  of  their  ears,  gives  them  a 
hideous  appearance. 

They  have  considerable  ingenuity  in  manufacturing  iron.  The 
articles  of  trade  which  they  wish  for  most  seem  to  be  white  beads 
— used  for  ornaments  every  where  in  this  part  of  Africa — and 
vessels  of  copper  and  brass.  The  "  neptune" — a  plate  of  yellow 
oopper,  which  has  long  been  one  of  the  standard  articles  of  trade 
imported  hither  by  the  merchants,  and  which  is  found  very  far  in 
the  interior — the  Fans  cut  up,  and  it  seems  to  pass  as  a  kind  of 
medium  of  exchange. 

Iron  ore  is  found  in  considerable  quantities  through  the  Fan 
country  cropping  out  at  the  surface.  They  do  not  dig  into  the 
ground  for  it,  but  gather  what  lies  about.  To  get  the  iron  they 
build  a  huge  pile  of  wood,  pile  on  this  a  considerable  quantity  of 
the  ore  broken  up,  then  comes  more  wood,  and  then  fire  is  applied 
to  the  whole  pile.  As  it  burns  away  wood  is  thrown  on  contin- 
ually, till  at  last  they  perceive,  by  certain  signs,  that  they  have 
made  the  iron  fluid.  All  is  then  permitted  to  cool,  and  they  have 
now  cast  iron.  To  make  this  malleable  and  give  it  temper,  they 
put  it  through  a  most  tedious  series  of  heatings  and  hammerings, 
till  at  last  they  turn  out  a  very  superior  article  of  iron  and  steel, 
much  better  than  that  which  is  brought  to  them  from  Europe.  It 
is  a  fact  that,  to  make  their  best  knives  and  arrow-heads,  they 
will  not  use  the  European  or  American  iron,  but  prefer  their  own. 
And  many  of  their  knives  and  swords  are  really  very  finely  made, 
and,  for  a  rude  race,  beautifully  ornamented  by  scroll-work  on  the 
blades. 

As  blacksmiths,  they  very  far  surpass  all  the  tribes  of  this  re- 
gion who  have  not  come  in  contact  with  the  whites.  Their  war- 
like habits  have  made  iron  a  most  necessary  article  to  them ;  and 
though  their  tools  are  very  simple,  their  patience  is  great,  and,  as 
the  reader  will  perceive  from  the  pictures  of  their  arms,  they  pro- 
duce some  very  neat  workmanship. 

The  forge  is  set  up  any  where  where  a  fire  can  be  built.  They 
have  invented  a  singular  bellows,  composed  of  two  short,  hollow- 


A  CANNIBAL  SMITHY.  123 


FAN  M.ACKS.MITUS. 

ed  cylinders  of  wood,  surmounted  by  skins  accurately  fitted  on, 
and  having  an  appropriate  valve  and  a  wooden  handle.  The  bel- 
lows-man sits  down,  and  moves  these  coverings  up  and  down 
with  great  rapidity,  and  the  air  is  led  through  small  wooden  pipes 
into  an  iron  joint  which  emerges  in  the  fire. 

The  anvil  is  a  solid  piece  of  iron  of  the  shape  seen  in  the  illus- 
tration. The  sharp  end  is  stuck  into  the  ground,  and  the  black- 
smith sits  alongside  of  his  anvil  and  beats  the  iron  with  a  singular 
hammer,  which  is  simply  a  piece  of  iron  weighing  from  three  to 
six  pounds,  and  in  shape  a  truncated  cone.  It  has  no  handle, 
but  is  held  by  the  smaller  end,  and,  of  course,  the  blows  require 
much  more  strength.  It  is  a  little  curious  that,  with  all  their  in- 
genuity, they  should  not  have  discovered  so  simple  a  thing  as  a 
handle  for  a  hammer. 

Time  is  of  no  value  to  a  Fan,  and  the  careful  blacksmith  spends 
often  many  days  and  even  weeks  over  the  manufacture  of  a  small 
knife,  while  weeks  and  months  are  used  to  turn  out  a  finished 
war-knife,  spear,  or  brain-hatchet.    The  small,  graceful,  and  oft- 


121 


POTTERY. 


en  intricate  lines  with  which  the  surfaces  of  all  their  best  weapons 
are  very  beautifully  ornamented,  are  all  made  by  the  hand  and  a 
chisel-like  instrument,  struck  with  the  hammer.  They  evince  a 
correct  eye,  and  a  good  deal  of  artistic  taste. 

They  have  also  some  skill  in  forming  pottery,  though  the  only 
objects  of  clay  they  use  are  the  cooking-pot  and  the  pipe.  The 
former  is  in  shape  much  like  our  common  iron  cooking-pot.  It 
is  remarkable  chiefly  for  the  very  regular  shape  they  give  it 
merely  by  hand,  for  of  the  lathe  they  are,  of  course,  ignorant. 
When  the  clay  is  moulded  it  is  set  in  the  sun  to  dry,  and  after- 


FAN  POTT  KEY. 

1.  Cooking-pot.  2.  Water-jar.  3.  Palm-wine  Bottle. 


ward  thoroughly  baked  in  the  fire.  Pipes  are  made  in  the  same 
way,  but  the  stems  are  always  of  wood.  Many  of  the  Fan  had 
?>o?i  pipes,  which  they  seemed  to  prefer  to  those  of  clay. 


FAN  1'irES. 


Water  is  carried  or  kept  in  gourds,  and  in  jugs  made  of  a  kind 
of  reed  tightly  woven  and  afterward  coated  with  a  kind  of  gum. 
This  gum  is  first  softened  in  the  fire,  and  then  thickly  laid  over 


AGRICULTURE. 


125 


the  outside  of  the  vessel.  When  completed  it  forms  a  durable, 
water-tight  vessel ;  but  it  is  necessary,  before  using  it,  to  keep  it 
standing  in  water  for  a  fortnight  to  take  away  the  disagreeable 
taste  of  the  gum. 

They  smoke  leaves  which  looked  to  me  like  a  kind  of  wild 
tobacco,  and  which  seem  to  grow  plentifully  here. 

They  kill  a  great  many  elephants,  which  abound  in  this  region, 
and  whose  meat  is  their  chief  subsistence,  while  the  ivory  is  their 
only  export  article,  and,  therefore,  very  important  to  them,  as 
thereby  they  get  their  brass,  copper,  kettles,  looking-glasses,  flints, 
fire-steels,  and  beads,  which  have  become  almost  necessities  to 
them.  Of  all  these,  however,  they  set  the  greatest  value  on  cop- 
per and  brass. 

Their  agricultural  operations  are  very  rude,  and  differ  but  little 
from  those  of  the  surrounding  tribes.  Like  them,  they  cut  down 
the  trees  and  brush  to  make  a  clearing,  burn  every  thing  that  is 
cut  down,  and  then  plant  their  crop  in  the  cleared  space.  The 
only  agricultural  instrument  they  have  is  a  kind  of  heavy  knife 
or  cutlass,  which  serves  in  place  of  an  axe  to  cut  down  trees,  and 
for  many  other  purposes,  such  as  digging  the  holes  in  which  they 
plant  their  manioc  or  plantains.  After  the  clearing  is  made,  the 
women  go  around  among  the  burned  logs  and  tree-roots,  and  stick 
in  their  roots  and  shrubs  wherever  they  can  find  space ;  and  na- 
ture does  the  rest. 

Their  staple  food  is  the  manioc,  a  very  useful  plant,  because  it 
yields  a  large  return,  and  is  more  substantial  food  than  the  plant- 
ain. It  is  cultivated  by  cuttings ;  and  one  little  stem  stuck  care- 
lessly into  the  ground  in  their  manner,  produces  in  a  season  two 
or  three  large  roots  the  size  of  a  yam.  They  also  boil  the  leaves 
and  eat  them,  and  they  make  excellent  "greens." 

Besides  manioc  they  have  plantains,  two  or  three  kinds  of 
yams,  splendid  sugar-cane,  and  squashes,  all  of  which  they  culti- 
vate with  considerable  success ;  but  the  manioc  is  the  favorite. 
Enormous  quantities  of  squashes  are  raised,  chiefly  for  the  seeds, 
which,  when  pounded  and  prepared  as  they  know  how  to  do,  are 
much  prized  by  them,  and  by  me  too.  At  a  certain  season,  when 
the  squash  is  ripe,  their  villages  seem  covered  with  the  seeds, 
which  every  body  spreads  out  to  dry.  When  dried,  they  are 
packed  in  leaves  and  placed  over  the  fire-places  in  the  smoke,  to 
keep  off  an  insect  which  also  likes  them.    The  process  of  prepa- 


126 


THE  OSHEBAS. 


ration  is  very  tedious.  A  portion  of  seeds  is  boiled,  and  each  seed 
is  divested  of  its  skin.  Then  the  mass  of  pulp  is  put  into  a  rudr 
wooden  mortar  and  pounded,  a  vegetable  oil  being  mixed  with  it. 
When  all  is  well  mixed,  a  portion  is  finally  cooked  over  a  char- 
coal fire,  either  in  an  earthen  pot  or  in  a  plantain-leaf.  It  is  then 
very  sweet,  and  I  think  nourishing,  and  certainly  quite  pleasant. 

Of  the  mortars  above  mentioned  every  Fan  family  possesses  at 
least  one.  They  are  of  wood,  and  are  in  fact  troughs,  being  two 
feet  long  by  two  or  three  inches  deep  and  eight  wide.  Besides 
these,  every  village  owns  and  uses  in  common  two  or  three  im- 
mense mortars  (also  of  wood),  which  are  needed  to  pulverize  the 
manioc-root.  When  it  is  reduced  to  flour  it  is  made  into  little 
cakes,  which  may  be  kept  for  several  days.  They  are  also  very 
fond  of  red  pepper,  which  plant  is  found  in  abundance  near  all 
the  villages. 

While  on  the  subject  of  food,  I  ought  to  say  that  they  do  not 
sell  the  bodies  of  their  chiefs,  kings,  or  great  men.  These  receive 
burial ;  and  consequently  they  do  not  eat  every  body  that  dies. 

Slavery  does  not  seem  very  prominent  among  them,  though  a 
great  many  of  the  Fans  themselves  are  yearly  sold  for  slaves  to 
the  coast  traders  on  account  of  witchcraft  accusations,  debts,  adul- 
tery, etc.  Of  late  years  the  French  "emigrant"  ships  have  been 
filled  with  Fans  to  a  very  great  extent. 

On  September  10th,  Kdiayai,  the  king,  took  me  over  to  an 
Osheba  town  some  miles  away,  whose  king  was  his  friend.  The 
town,  the  people,  the  arrangements,  every  thing  looked  just  as  in 
the  Fan  town.  I  should  not  have  known  they  were  of  a  different 
tribe  had  not  Ndiayai  assured  me  it  was  so.  I  imagine  they  are 
not  very  far  apart,  however.  Like  the  Fans,  the  Osheba  look 
warlike,  and  are  tall ;  their  women,  too,  are  smaller,  and  hideous- 
ly ugly,  and  tattooed  all  over  their  bodies.  A  large  part  of  then- 
intercourse  with  the  Fan  village  consists  in  the  interchange  of 
dead  bodies,  and  I  saw  as  many  human  bones  lying  about  the 
Osheba  village  as  among  the  Fans. 

King  Bunbakai,  the  Osheba  chief,  seeing  that  his  friend  Ndia- 
yai  did  not  die  after  having  seen  me,  concluded  to  come  out  and 
have  a  look  himself.  He  was  a  sociable  old  fellow,  dressed  in 
the  Fan  style,  and  every  way  acting  like  a  Fan  king  might.  We 
staid  with  him  several  days,  as  I  had  come  in  great  part  to  see 
what  lay  farther  east  toward  the  interior,  and  how  I  should  get 


MY  ULTIMA  THULE. 


127 


farther.  But  I  was  now  come  to  my  ultima  thule.  After  every 
inquiry,  made  with  the  help  of  my  Mbondemo  followers,  I  could 
get  only  this  information : 

That  beyond  the  Osheba  village,  two  or  three  day's  journeys 
off,  there  lived  other  tribes,  also  cannibals,  whose  names  my  in- 
formants did  not  know.  It  was  said,  however,  that  they  were 
warlike,  and  used  poisoned  arrows.  When  I  desired  to  advance 
in  that  direction  the  people  seemed  unwilling,  even  afraid  to  ac- 
company me ;  assuring  me  that  on  account  of  the  wars  at  present 
in  existence  between  tribes  there,  any  party  attempting  to  visit 
either  side  would  run  the  risk  of  being  waylaid  with  poisoned  ar- 
rows by  the  other. 

I  had  a  great  desire  to  go  on,  but  confess  that  these  stories  and 
some  other  considerations  cooled  my  ardor.  I  was  completely  at 
the  mercy  of  the  Fans,  and  should  be  still  more  so  if  I  advanced, 
for  Mbene's  men  would  not  go  farther.  And  I  could  not  forget 
that  the  Fan,  though  apparently  well  disposed  toward  me,  had  a 
great  penchant  for  human  flesh,  and  might — by  one  of  those  cu- 
rious freaks  which  our  tastes  play  us — be  seized  by  a  passionate 
desire  to  taste  of  me.  To  fall  sick  among  them  would  be  to 
tempt  them  severely  and  unjustifiably.  Then  I  had  not  goods 
enough  to  carry  me  among  a  strange  people  and  also  bring  me 
back ;  and  I  feared  that,  left  in  poverty,  I  should  fail  to  receive 
among  them  the  respect  and  obedience  which  the  beads,  tobacco, 
and  powder,  copper  and  brass  rings  of  a  white  man  always  ob- 
tain him.  Moreover,  the  Fan  language  is  such  a  collection  of 
tJiroat  sounds  that  I  not  only  could  not  get  to  understand  it,  but 
could  not  for  some  time  distinguish  any  words.  The  Osheba  is 
yet  worse ;  and  harsher,  ruder,  or  more  guttural  sounds  I  never 
heard  made.  Now,  as  Mbene's  men  would  not  go  with  me,  nor 
even  stay  long  here,  I  was  like  to  be  left  without  an  interpreter : 
and  to  go  among  any  new  tribes  beyond  the  mountains  entirely 
unable  to  hold  communication  with  them  would  have  been  labor 
almost  altogether  in  vain.    I  therefore  determined  to  make  some 

r 

longer  stay  with  King  Ncliayai,  and  then  return  by  a  new  route 
to  the  sea-shore. 

And  so  vague  and  unsatisfactory  were  the  rumors  I  heard  of 
country  and  people  in  the  farther  interior  that  I  shall  not  make 
any  guess  at  the  condition  of  that  vast  region.  Only  I  think  it 
quite  likely  that,  as  the  Fan  and  Osheba  tribes  point  eastward  as 


128 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


the  place  of  their  origin,  their  manners  and  customs,  with  such 
knowledge  as  they  have  of  iron  and  of  poison,  and  such  changes 
in  life  as  the  different  circumstances  of  the  country  may  necessi- 
tate, may  be  characteristic  of  the  tribes  beyond. 

The  Fans  are  a  very  superstitious  people.  Witchcraft  seems  to 
be  a  very  common  thing  to  be  accused  of  among  them,  and  the 
death  penalty  is  sternly  executed.  They  set  little  value  on  life; 
and  as  the  dead  body  has  its  commercial  value,  this  consideration 
too,  probably,  has  its  weight  in  passing  sentence  of  death. 

Polygamy  is  a  fertile  source  of  quarrels  and  bloodshed  among 
them ;  and  the  growing  desire  for  "  white  man's  goods,"  to  pay 
for  which,  in  the  present  miserable  system  of  trade,  they  can  not 
get  sufficient  ivory,  induces  them  to  send  many  of  their  criminals 
to  the  coast  to  be  sold  to  the  slavers.  As  before  mentioned,  they 
have  but  few  slaves — a  circumstance  which  is  probably  in  part 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  they  eat  the  prisoners  taken  in  war, 
whereas  other  tribes  only  enslave  them. 

They  have  a  great  reverence  for  charms  and  fetiches,  and  even 
the  little  children  are  covered  with  these  talismans,  duly  conse- 
crated by  the  doctor  or  greegree  man  of  the  tribe.  They  place 
especial  value  on  charms  which  are  supposed  to  have  the  power 
to  protect  their  owner  in  battle.  Chief  among  these  is  an  iron 
chain,  of  which  the  links  are  an  inch  and  a  half  long  by  an  inch 
wide.  This  is  worn  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  hanging  down 
the  right  side.  Besides  this,  and  next  to  it  in  value,  is  a  small 
bag,  which  is  suspended  round  the  neck  or  to  the  side  of  the 
warrior.  This  bag  is  made  of  the  skin  of  some  rare  animal,  and 
contains  various  fragments  of  others,  such  as  dried  monkey's  tails, 
the  bowels  and  claws  of  other  beasts,  shells,  feathers  of  birds,  and 
ashes  of  various  beasts.  All  these  are  of  the  rarer  animals,  in  or- 
der that  there  may  not  be  too  many  charms  of  one  kind,  which 
would  diminish  their  value  and  power. 

The  chief  village  of  each  family  of  the  Fans  has  a  huge  idol,  to 
whose  temple  all  that  family  gather  at  certain  periods  to  worship. 
This  worship  consists  of  rude  dances  and  singing.  The  idol- 
houses  are  mostly  surrounded  by  a  number  of  skulls  of  wild  ani- 
mals, prominent  among  which  I  recognized  the  skull  of  the  goril- 
la. To  take  away  or  disturb  these  skulls  would  be  counted  sac- 
rilege, and  worthy  of  death.  I  do  not  think  they  offer  human 
sacrifices. 


INTERMARRIAGES. 


129 


The  cannibal  tribes  do  not  intermarry  with  their  non-cannibal 
neighbors,  as  their  peculiar  practices  are  held  in  too  great  abhor- 
rence. Trade  is,  however,  like  to  break  down  this  barrier.  With- 
in two  or  three  years  the  ivory  of  the  Fans  has  so  far  excited  the 
cupidity  of  their  neighbors  that  two  or  three  chiefs,  among  whom 
Mbene  was  one,  have  been  glad  to  take  Fan  girls  to  wife,  in  order 
thus  to  get  the  influence  of  a  Fan  father-in-law.  The  poor  Fans, 
who  are  farthest  of  all  from  the  coveted  white  trade,  are  but  too 
glad  to  get  a  son-in-law  nearer  the  sea-shore;  and  I  have  little 
doubt  but  in  a  few  years  they  will  even  succeed  in  intermarrying 
with  other  tribes  to  a  considerable'  extent. 

Notwithstanding  their  repulsive  habit,  the  Fan  have  left  the  im- 
pression upon  me  of  being  the  most  promising  people  in  all  West- 
ern Africa.  They  treated  me  with  unvarying  hospitality  and 
kindness ;  and  they  seem  to  have  more  of  that  kind  of  stamina 
which  enables  a  rude  people  to  receive  a  strange  civilization  than 
any  other  tribe  I  know  of  in  Africa.  Energetic,  fierce,  warlike, 
decidedly  possessing  both  courage  and  ingenuity,  they  are  dis- 
agreeable enemies ;  and  I  think  it  most  probable  that  the  great 
family  or  nation  of  which  they  are  but  a  small  offshoot,  and  who 
should  inhabit  the  mountainous  range  which  subsequent  explora- 
tions convince  me  extends  nearly  if  not  quite  across  the  continent 
— that  these  mountaineers  have  stayed  in  its  course  the  great 
sweep  of  Mohammedan  conquest  in  this  part  of  Africa. 

It  should  be  added  here  that  the  Fan  are  known  on  the  coast 
as  the  Paouen. 


FAN  SPOON. 
I 


130 


CLIMATE  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  return  Trip. — Climate  of  the  mountain  Region. — Native  Courage. — Mode  of 
Warfare. — Heavy  Rains. — On  the  Nova. — Visits  to  native  Chiefs. — Ezongo. — 
Attempt  at  Black-mail. — Alapay. — The  Mbicho. — Net-hunting. — Bad  Shooting  of 
the  Negroes. — Attacked  by  the  Bashikouay  Ants. — Toilet  of  the  Mbicho. — Super- 
stition about  the  Moon. — Ivory  of  this  District  peculiar. — Igouma. — Fan  of  the 
Country. — An  immense  Cavern. — Crossing  a  mangrove  Swamp. 

We  now  began  to  make  ready  for  our  return  to  the  sea.  I 
was  to  go  as  far  as  his  village  with  Mbene,  and  thence  take  my 
new  route.  Mbene  had  since  our  arrival  obtained  a  daughter  of 
King  Ndiayai  for  his  wife ;  a  point  of  great  exultation  to  this  pol- 
itic old  negro,  who  rejoiced  that  so  rare  an  honor  should  fall  to 
him,  and  hoped  to  receive  large  consignments  of  ivory  from  his 
father-in-law's  people,  on  which  he  would  pocket  a  profitable  per- 
centage. Mbene,  therefore,  had  relatives  to  take  leave  of — not  a 
very  affecting  circumstance,  however. 

The  Fans  seemed  very  sorry  that  I  was  about  to  leave  them, 
and  all  expressed  a  wish  for  my  return.  Ndiayai  gave  me  a  na- 
tive knife  as  a  token  of  remembrance,  which  was  as  much  as  re- 
ceiving a  be-diamonded  snuff-box  from  another  sovereign — for 
knives  are  precious  in  Africa.  I  offered  a  large  price  to  another 
man  for  a  superb  knife  he  had,  but  could  not  get  it.  His  father 
had  given  it  to  him,  he  said,  and  he  could  not  part  with  it. 

So  at  last  we  were  fully  ready,  and  left  the  Fans  and  their  mount- 
ains. These  mountains  have  a  climate  which  is  by  no  means  Af- 
rican in  the  popular  conception.  Since  we  have  been  here  we 
have  had  rain  during  every  rright ;  and  it  has  been  so  much  cloud- 
ed that  I  do  not  think  the  sun  has  shone  clearly  for  three  consec- 
utive hours  on  any  day  in  as  many  weeks.  The  country  seems 
well  watered,  and  the  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile.  The  climate  is, 
of  course,  much  healthier  than  it  is  on  the  rivers  near  the  coast, 
and  the  people  in  consequence  are  more  robust  and  energetic. 
It  is  a  most  promising  country  for  the  labor  and  settlement  of 
white  men  at  some  time,  or  of  civilized  black  men. 

Mbene  had  spent  some  days  before  our  start  in  collecting  pro- 


MODES  OF  WARFARE. 


131 


visions.  But,  though  we  had  a  good  supply,  he  asked  me  to  stop 
at  a  Mbicho  village  not  far  on  our  route  for  more.  I  consented, 
and  found  that  he  was  more  desirous  of  exhibiting  me  to  another 
fathcr-in-law  of  his,  the  Mbicho  chief,  Imana  by  name,  who  was 
hugely  pleased  to  find  his  son-in-law  in  such  creditable  company, 
and  presented  me  with  two  fowls  and  two  bunches  of  plantains  in 
token  of  his  pleasure,  besides  supplying  our  whole  party  with 
abundant  provisions  next  morning,  when  we  went  rejoicing  on 
our  way,  the  men  singing  songs  as  they  marched  through  the 
woods. 

The  Mbicho  are  like  the  Mbondemo  in  looks,  and  their  lan- 
guage is  also  like  the  Shekiani.  They  are  not  a  very  numerous 
tribe. 

Our  party  from  here  consisted  of  twenty  men,  thirteen  women, 
and  two  bo}7s.  I  caused  the  women  to  be  relieved  of  their  loads,  to 
their  surprise  and  that  of  their  idle  husbands,  who  could  not  un- 
derstand why  I  should  object  to  a  woman  doing  all  the  drudgery. 
As  we  marched  along  gayly  enough,  about  two  P.M.  one  day 
my  men  seemed  suddenly  uneasy.  I  asked  what  was  the  matter, 
and  received  for  reply  that  a  party  of  Shekianis  were  approaching, 
they  thought,  and  then  there  would  be  trouble,  as  some  Shekiani 
men  had  had  a  palaver  lately  with  Mbene.  I  felt  very  uncomfort- 
able, for,  on  listening,  I  too  heard  sounds  as  of  men  approaching,  and 
I  knew  that  if  there  was  a  fight  it  would  be  of  the  cruel,  treacher- 
ous kind  which  the  negroes  affect — not  open,  but  a  sudden  sur- 
prise, which  would  give  no  chance  for  me  to  interfere  and  prevent 
bloodshed.  I  therefore  determined  to  stop  the  palaver  if  I  could, 
but  meantime  to  stick  to  my  party  as  the  safest  way.  We  got 
Teady  our  guns,  and  then  cautiously  advanced.  After  about  half 
an  hour's  suspense  we  discovered  the  enemy — not  a  party  of 
Shekianis,  but  a  large  party  of  chattering  monkeys,  of  which  we 
immediately  shot  half  a  dozen,  which  were  roasted  by  the  men 
for  their  suppers. 

The  warriors  of  this  part  of  Africa — with  the  exception  of  the 
Fans  and  Osheba — are  not  overstocked  with  courage.  They  ap- 
plaud tricks  that  are  inhumanly  cruel  and  cowardly,  and  seem  to 
be  quite  incapable  of  open  hand-to-hand  fight.  To  surprise  man, 
woman,  or  child  in  sleep,  and  kill  them  then ;  to  lie  in  ambush  in 
the  woods  for  a  single  man,  and  kill  him  by  a  single  spear-thrust 
before  he  can  defend  himself ;  to  waylay  a  woman  going  to  the 


132  THE  RAINY  SEASON. 

spring  for  water,  and  kill  her ;  or  to  attack  on  the  river  a  canoe 
much  smaller  and  weaker  than  the  attackers :  these  are  the  war- 
like feats  I  have  heard  most  praised,  and  seen  oftenest  done  in 
this  part  of  Africa.  No  rude  or  barbarous  people  seems  fairly 
brave.  Even  the  North  American  Indians  dealt  in  surprises, 
fought,  like  these  negroes,  from  behind  trees,  and  were  cruel 
rather  than  brave ;  so  that  my  ideas  of  a  fair  fight  were  not  un- 
derstood or  appreciated  by  the  negroes. 

The  night  of  September  19th  was  one  of  the  most  uncomforta- 
ble of  my  journey.  It  rained  in  the  evening  when  we  began  to 
arrange  our  camp,  and  I  built  two  large  fires  to  keep  me  dry,  and 
got  under  shelter  as  well  as  I  could.  But  about  nine  o'clock  it 
came  on  a  rain  so  heavily  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  keep  our 
fires  alight.  I  had  to  use  my  neighbor's  wood,  which  was  readily 
given  me.  It  rained  thus  till  four  o'clock,  pouring  down  in  one 
continuous  stream,  as  though  another  deluge  had  come. 

Then  we  all  fell  asleep,  wet  as  we  were,  and  when  we  waked 
up  saw  the  sun  peeping  at  us  through  the  dark,  glistening,  rain- 
refreshed  foliage  of  the  trees. 

The  rainy  season  had  by  this  time  fairly  set  in  in  these  mount- 
ains, and  the  thunder,  lightning,  and  heavy  showers  are  common 
both  day  and  night.  We  find  great  comfort  in  using  the  shelters 
erected,  and  conscientiously  kept  in  repair  by  the  caravans  or 
trading-parties  of  negroes  who  pass  over  this  track.  They  give 
at  least  some  shelter  from  the  everlasting  rains.  "We  have  found 
them  kept  in  good  repair  wherever  we  have  been.  It  is  custom- 
ary for  every  party  to  do  what  repairs  are  necessary. 

On  the  29th  we  saw  many  elephant-tracks  but  no  animals; 
and  as  we  were  now  bound  in  we  did  not  stop  to  hunt.  On  the 
30th  we  crossed  the  Noonday  Eiver,  and  now  a  messenger  was 
sent  forward  to  announce  our  arrival.  We  arrived  at  the  town 
about  eight  P.M.,  amid  salvoes  of  old  muskets  and  very  general 
rejoicing,  and  singing  and  dancing.  I  was  tired,  and  was  glad  to 
get  to  bed  in  a  house  once  more  after  eating  something.  But 
unfortunately  two  or  three  of  the  king's  babies,  who  were  sepa- 
rated from  me  only  by  a  few  feet,  cried  all  night,  so  that  I  did  not 
get  much  sleep. 

Mbene's  people  had  not  time  now  to  attend  even  their  own  chil- 
dren. The  rainy  season  had  fairly  come,  and  their  crop  was  not 
yet  in  the  ground,  and  they  had  to  strain  every  nerve  to  get  done. 


FAREWELL  TO  MBENE. 


133 


Accordingly,  the  next  day  every  body  but  the  children  went  into 
the  fields ;  and  the  poor  little  ones — all  who  had  been  weaned — 
had  but  a  dreary  time  of  it  playing  around  in  the  mud,  and  greed- 
ily munching  the  few  ground-nuts  their  mothers  had  left  them. 

I  found  now  that  I  must  not  stay  long  with  Mbene ;  for,  though 
he  had  enough  to  eat  for  himself,  I  could  not  live  on  nuts,  and  he 
found  it  hard  to  get  plantains  or  fowls  for  me.  The  poor  fellow 
was  sorry,  and  even  ashamed  at  his  poverty,  which  in  this  case 
he  could  not  help,  as  he  had  but  moved  his  village  lately,  and 
they  were  only  to  plant  now ;  so  I  determined  to  bid  good-by  to 
him  without  loss  of  time.  I  gave  him  such  presents  as  satisfied 
him  for  his  trouble  and  his  faithfulness  to  me,  rewarded  my  men 
according  to  promise  and  also  to  their  gratification,  and  then 
made  arrangements  with  Mbene  to  transport  me  to  the  banks  of 
the  Noya  River  instead  of  the  banks  of  the  Ntambounay  Eiver, 
by  which  I  had  come,  for  I  desired  to  see  this  river  also. 

So  for  the  last  time  Mbene  and  I  broke  together  the  plantain 
of  friendship,  and  then  I  went  on  my  way,  followed  by  protesta- 
tions of  love  from  him  which  I  was  glad  enough  sincerely  to  re- 
ciprocate. 

"We  were  now  journeying  toward  the  Noya.  About  five  o'clock 
on  the  first  day  we  had  a  storm,  whose  approach  caused  us  to 
stop  and  build  ourselves  a  comfortable  camp.  Thanks  to  the  huge 
leaves  with  which  Providence  has  provided  so  many  of  the  trees 
and  shrubs  of  the  African  forests,  this  was  an  easy  matter;  and 
we  lay  comfortably  sheltered,  and  near  a  cheering  fire,  while  the 
thunder  rolled,  and  a  heavy  rain  poured  down,  and  occasional 
flashes  of  lightning  revealed  grand  masses  of  the  gloomy  old  for- 
est. Gradually  the  storm  passed  over ;  and  as  we  lay  there  talk- 
ing, one  by  one  the  men  sank  back  in  silence  asleep.  I  was  soon 
asleep  myself,  leaving  all  care  to  those  who  had  the  watch,  and 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  to  the  fires. 

About  midnight  the  screams  of  several  leopards  awoke  me ; 
but  they  were  not  very  near  us,  our  fires  probably  keeping  them 
off.  I  had  four  distinct  fires  about  my  shed,  and  these  I  now 
carefully  poked  up  and  fed,  that  no  hungry  leopard  might  be 
tempted  to  rush  across  the  lines ;  and  then  returned  to  sleep. 

The  next  day  we  saw  numerous  elephants'  tracks;  but  the 
great  beasts  avoided  us,  and  fled  in  great  haste  when  they  heard 
us  coming.    They  -had  probably  been  hunted,  and  had  a  watch 


134 


DOWN  THE  NOYA. 


out.  We  saw,  too,  a  strange  water-snake,  whose  body  was  black, 
with  rings  of  bright  yellow  along  the  whole  length.  My  men 
were  much  alarmed  when  they  saw  it,  for  they  said  its  bite  was 
mortal ;  they  tried  to  kill  it  with  their  spears,  but  it  managed  to 
escape  them.  They  told  me  that  besides  being  poisonous  it  was 
very  good  to  eat,  and  gave  as  a  caution  that  the  head  must  be 
cut  off  immediately  it  is  killed,  in  order,  I  suppose,  to  prevent  its 
fangs  from  fastening  on  any  part  of  the  body. 

At  last,  after  some  hard  traveling,  the  forest  being  very  dense 
and  often  swampy,  while  numerous  streams,  bridgeless,  of  course, 
had  to  be  crossed  on  crazy  logs,  we  came  to  a  small  creek  leading 
into  the  Noya,  which  was  only  two  or  three  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant. We  seized  on  two  canoes  we  found  empty  on  the  creek; 
and  as  these  would  not  hold  all  our  party,  I  put  in  all  my  goods 
and  as  many  men  as  I  could  make  room  for,  and  made  the  others 
promise  to  wait  till  we  sent  a  canoe  for  them,  which  was  likely 
to  be  soon.  Sure  enough,  scarce  had  we  emerged  into  the  Koya, 
a  noble  stream  refreshing  to  look  upon  after  the  wretched  creeks 
which  had  been  crossed  for  two  days  at  very  frequent  intervals, 
than  we  met  a  couple  of  women  fishing  in  two  canoes.  I  prom- 
ised them  some  leaves  of  tobacco  if  they  would  go  and  bring 
along  the  men,  and  they  were  only  too  glad  to  do  so. 

Thus  we  descended  the  Noya.  The  banks  are  clothed  in  this 
part  with  trees  of  a  pleasant  shape  and  a  dark  evergreen  verdure, 
which  made  a  favorable  contrast  to  the  immense  gloomy  man- 
grove swamps  which  line  all  these  rivers  near  the  sea-shore. 
Here  and  there  we  saw  little  native  villages  peeping  through  the 
woods,  looking  so  quiet  and  pleasant  that  for  the  moment  I  could 
forget  the  horrors  of  witchcraft,  polygamy,  and  other  cruelties 
which  rule  even  in  these  peaceful  groves. 

Toward  afternoon  we  came  to  the  village  of  a  chief.  Mbene's 
friend,  who  had  sent  a  message  to  me  to  stop  at  his  place  on  my 
way  down.  We  were  received  with  acclamations ;  all  the  people 
turned  out  to  see  me,  and  there  was  the  usual  singing,  dancing, 
and  cutting  capers.  The  chief  took  me  immediately  to  his  own 
house,  the  best  in  the  town ;  but  I  was  not  destined  to  remain 
quiet,  for  presently  the  house  and  all  the  neighborhood  began  to 
fill  up  with  people  eager  to  take  a  look  at  me.  I  was  this  time 
doubly  a  hero ;  for  they  had  heard  of  my  trip  to  the  Fan  country, 
and  had  prophesied  that  I  should  be  killed  and  eaten  by  those 


INDIA-RUBBER  VINES. 


135 


terrible  people,  of  whom  all  these  tribes  seem  to  stand  in  great 
awe.  Now  that  I  was  come  back  in  safety,  they  openly  proclaim- 
ed that  I  must  be  the  lucky  owner  of  a  fetich  of  very  remarkable 
powers.  The  king  complimented  me  on  my  safe  return,  and  ask- 
ed why  I  cared  to  see  the  cannibals  and  go  to  their  country. 

"When  I  answered  that  I  went  there  to  shoot  birds  and  animals 
strange  to  me,  there  went  up  a  general  shout  of  astonishment,  and 
I  fear  I  lost  somewhat  of  the  confidence  and  admiration  of  the 
hearers,  for  they  could  scarce  give  credence  to  what  appeared  so 
foolish.  Nevertheless,  Wanga,  the  chief,  invited  me  to  stay  as 
long  as  I  pleased  with  him. 

I  got  up  early  the  next  morning  to  take  a  look  at  the  country, 
and  try  to  shoot  some  birds  for  my  collection  and  also  some  pig- 
eons for  breakfast.  It  was  a  fine  clear  morning,  and  I  now  for 
the  first  time  noticed  the  beautiful  situation  of  Wanga's  town, 
which  I  had  been  too  weary  to  appreciate  the  night  before.  It 
lay  on  the  edge  of  a  bluff,  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  which  overhung  the  Noya,  and  from  whose  summit  I  had  a 
view  of  this  river's  course  for  several  miles  up  and  down.  Im- 
mediately back  of  the  town  was  a  heavy  forest  of  grand  old  trees, 
many  of  vast  size  both  for  height  and  thickness.  The  under- 
brush was  tolerably  dense,  andiiuge  vines  stretched  from  tree  to 
tree  like  gigantic  snakes.  Among  these  vines  I  noticed  the  In- 
dia-rubber vine,  and  found  it  to  be  very  plentiful  in  this  region. 

The  natives  looked  at  me  as  I  was  stuffing  the  birds  I  had  kill- 
ed, and  were  lost  in  wonder  at  what  seemed  to  them  very  remark- 
ably foolish. 

I  spent  several  days  in  the  villages  near  here,  and  was  every 
where  received  with  kindness  and  also  with  curiosity.  They  had 
never  seen  a  white  man  before,  and  of  course  were  full  of  surprise, 
and  alarm  too,  for  a  time.  Others,  who  were  more  experienced, 
asked  curious  questions  about  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
white  people.  "When  I  told  them  that  a  man  was  put  into  prison 
for  having  two  wives,  both  men  and  women  set  up  a  shout  of 
wonder,  but  seemed  to  think  that,  though  the  white  man's  coun- 
try must  be  a  great  country,  the  white  men  were  themselves  more 
lucky  than  wise. 

Wanga  had  promised  me  a  new  set  of  guides  if  I  would  stay 
some  days  with  him ;  accordingly,  I  sent  Mbene's  men  back,  with 
proper  acknowledgments,  and  prepared  for  a  start  with  my  new 
guides. 


136 


THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  NOYA. 


We  were  to  go  down  the  Noya  for  a  few  miles  and  then  take 
the  land,  leaving  our  canoes  to  return. 

I  wanted  very  much  to  go  off  privately,  but  that  would  not  do. 
The  king  and  the  whole  village,  male  and  female,  about  two 
hundred  people,  came  down  to  bid  me  good-by,  and  I  had  to  shake 
hands  all  round,  which  took  more  time  than  I  cared  to  spare  for 
the  purpose.  But  it  was  the  last  pleasure  I  was  ever  likely  to  do 
to  a  people  who  had  received  me  with  very  great  kindness.  One 
feels  a  strange  softness  about  the  heart  on  leaving  one  of  these 
simple  African  villages,  where,  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  he  has 
yet  been  treated  kindly,  and  all  his  wants  supplied.  The  people 
seem  really  sorry  to  see  you  go  ;  and  as  you  leave,  thinking  that 
in  all  human  probability  you  will  never  meet  these  kind  people 
again,  you  feel  sorrier  than  you  expected. 

We  descended  the  Noya  for  a  few  miles,  hailed  at  every  turn 
by  the  inhabitants  of  villages  who  wished  us  to  stop ;  and  then 
abandoned  our  canoes  and  took  to  the  land.  For  some  miles  it 
was  very  swampy,  and  the  loads  of  my  men  made  traveling  dim- 
cult  and  tedious.  I  had  now  with  me  the  entire  results  of  this 
expedition,  and  this  formed  no  light  burden  even  for  the  stout, 
finely-made  negro  fellows  I  had.  The  people  along  the  Noya  are 
a  fine-looking  race,  not  above,  but  up  to  the  "  middle  height,"' 
with  rather  intelligent  features,  and  not  very  black.  They  seem 
to  live  very  happily  in  their  villages,  though,  of  course,  all  the 
vices  and  superstitions  of  Africa  infect  them,  and,  once  in  a  while, 
make  brutes  of  them. 

Presently  we  came  to  high  land,  and  then  the  landscape  re- 
gained somewhat  of  the  beauty  it  had  about  Wanga's  village, 
while  we  were  able  to  push  ahead  faster  over  the  solid  ground. 
Toward  sunset  we  reached  a  place  called  Ezongo,  where  the  in- 
habitants, seeing  our  heavy  loads,  and  supposing  that  I  brought 
them  vast  and  unheard-of  amounts  of  trade,  turned  out  with  the 
greatest  amount  of  enthusiasm  to  welcome  me. 

Their  ardor  cooled  somewhat  when  they  learned  the  contents 
of  my  packages,  and  I  found  in  the  course  of  the  evening  that  the 
rascally  chief  or  king  of  Ezongo,  thinking  I  must  place  a  great 
value  on  things  I  had  gone  so  far  to  get,  had  determined  to  hold 
me  till  I  paid  a  heavy  price  to  get  away. 

I  was  very  angry  at  this  outrage ;  but  for  a  while  things  look- 
ed as  though  I  should  have  trouble.    I  determined  not  to  submit 


ATTEMPT  AT  BLACK-MAIL. 


137 


to  an  imposition  which  would  leave  me  empty-handed  and  de- 
fenseless, even  if  it  would  have  answered  to  let  any  one  of  these 
fellows  impose  on  me  under  any  circumstances.  There  seemed 
likely  to  be  a  palaver.  I  determined  to  fight  for  my  rights,  but 
was,  of  course,  anxious  to  get  all  settled  peaceably.  The  king, 
urged  on  by  his  people,  who  seemed  a  greedy  set  of  rascals,  insist- 
ed on  his  price.  At  last,  my  Mbicho  guides  from  the  Noya  tried 
to  settle  the  matter.  They  were  wise  enough  to  get  the  king  to 
come  to  me  with  them  alone.  I  gave  the  rascal  a  coat  and  an  old 
shirt,  and  told  him,  what  was  literally  true,  that  I  was  very  poor, 
and  could  not  pay  what  his  people  wanted,  and  that  he  must  be 
on  my  side.  He  went  out  at  once  and  harangued  the  turbulent 
extortioners.  I  watched  the  result  with  considerable  anxiety ;  but 
at  last,  seeing  that  he  would  succeed,  paid  my  Wanga-town  guides, 
and  prepared  to  set  out  for  Yoongoolapay,  a  village  whose  chief 
I  had  seen  on  the  coast  some  time  before,  when  he  made  me  prom- 
ise to  pay  him  a  visit  on  my  return  from  the  interior. 

I  was  now  really  so  reduced  in  trade  that  I  had  only  a  few 
white  beads  left  to  pay  to  my  guides,  and  was  glad  enough  to  be 
getting  down  toward  the  territory  of  a  man  who  knew  me,  and 
would  probably  trust  me. 

We  arrived  at  our  destination  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  were 
received  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy.  My  old  friend,  King 
Alapay,  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  asked  me  to  stay  some  days, 
which,  being  very  much  worn  out  with  constant  exposure  and 
anxieties,  I  determined  to  do.  His  village  is  situated  upon  a  high 
hill  overlooking  the  surrounding  country,  and  a  beautiful  stream 
skirts  the  foot  of  the  hill.  It  is  a  charming  situation,  and  the  peo- 
ple who  hold  it  I  found  very  kind,  peaceable,  and  hospitable. 

A  considerable  number  of  independent  Mbicho  villages  lie  here 
within  a  circuit  of  a  few  miles,  and  live  in  great  harmony  with 
each  other,  all  having  prudently  intermarried  to  such  a  degree 
that  they  are  really  one  large  family.  I  was  made  welcome 
among  them  all,  and  spent  some  very  pleasant  days  in  hunting, 
and  particularly  in  that  kind  of  sport  called  here  asheza-hunting, 
or  net-hunting  —  a  practice  very  common  among  the  Bakalai 
tribes. 

This  singular  sport  is  very  much  practiced  in  this  part  of  Af- 
rica, and,  as  it  is  generally  successful,  is  a  local  amusement,  and 
brings  out  the  best  traits  of  the  natives.  I  was  always  very  fond 
of  it. 


138 


NET-HUNTING. 


The  nets  are  made  of  the  fibre  of  the  pine-apple  plant,  and  also 
with  the  fibres  of  a  kind  of  tree,  which  are  twisted  into  stout 
threads.  They  are  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  long  and  four  to 
five  feet  high,  and  every  village  owns  several.  But  as  few  vil- 
lages have  sufficient  to  make  a  great  spread,  generally  several  unite 
in  one  grand  hunt  and  divide  the  proceeds,  the  game  caught  in 
any  net  being  the  share  of  its  owners. 

The  first  day  we  went  out,  half  a  dozen  villages  met  together  at 
an  appointed  place,  the  men  of  each  bringing  their  nets.  Then 
we  set  off  for  a  spot  about  ten  miles  off,  where  they  had  a  clearing 
in  the  dense  woods  which  had  been  used  before.  We  moved 
along  in  silence,  so  as  not  to  alarm  the  animals  who  might  be  near 
our  ground.  The  dogs — for  dogs  are  used  for  this  hunt — were 
kept  still  and  close  together. 

Finally  we  arrived  on  the  ground,  and  the  work  of  spreading 
the  toils  began.  Each  party  stretched  a  single  net,  tying  it  up  by 
vines  and  to  the  lower  branches  of  trees ;  but  as  all  worked  in 
one  direction,  and  each  took  care  to  join  his  and  his  neighbors  net 
together,  we  in  a  very  short  time  had  a  line  of  netting  running  in 
a  wide  half  circle,  and  at  least  half  a  mile  long. 

This  done,  a  party  went  out  on  each  side  to  guard  the  sides  and 
prevent  escape,  and  the  balance  of  us  were  then  ready  to  beat  the 
bush.  We  started  at  about  a  mile  from  the  nets,  and,  standing 
about  fifty  yards  from  each  other,  advanced  gradually,  shouting 
and  making  what  noise  we  could,  at  the  same  time  keeping  our 
guns  in  readiness  to  pop  down  any  thing  which  should  come  in 
our  way.  The  sport  would  have  been  less  exhausting  had  not 
the  jungle  been  so  dense.  Though  this  very  spot  was  frequently 
used  for  net-hunting,  and  therefore  more  cleared  than  the  neigh- 
boring wilder  wood,  yet  we  were  obliged  to  proceed  almost  step 
by  step,  and  every  native  was  armed,  besides  his  gun,  with  a  kind 
of  heavy  cutlass  or  machete,  with  which  it  was  necessary  literally 
to  hew  out  a  way,  the  vines  making  a  net-work  which  only  the 
beasts  of  the  forests  could  glide  through  without  trouble. 

As  we  advanced,  so  did  the  men  who  guarded  the  flanks,  and 
thus  our  party  gradually  closed  on  the  prey,  and  presently  we  be- 
gan to  hear  shots.  I  heard  the  shots,  but  could  see  nothing,  and 
had  only  to  hold  my  own  gun  in  readiness,  and  pray  that  my 
neighbor  might  not  shoot  me  by  mistake ;  for  they  are  fearfully 
reckless  when  on  a  chase. 


NEGRO  GUNNERY. 


139 


At  last  we  came  in  sight  of  the  nets.  "We  had  caught*  a  deer 
of  a  very  minute  size — a  pretty  little  animal — in  every  respect 
like  the  common  deer,  except  that  it  does  not  grow  to  be  larger 
than  a  pointer.  It  is  very  graceful,  and  ought  to  make  a  pretty 
pet,  though  I  have  never  seen  one  tamed.  Also,  a  large  antelope 
was  held  and  shot  before  I  came  up ;  and  another  antelope,  being 
shot  at  and  missed,  rushed  forward  and  got  entangled  in  the  net. 

Having  drawn  this  cover,  we  gathered  up  the  nets  and  the 
dogs — who  enjoyed  the  sport  vastly — and  walked  off  to  try  an- 
other place. 

I  do  not  wonder  at  all  at  the  bad  shots  the  natives  make.  Wher- 
ever I  have  been  among  them  my  shots  have  excited  astonish- 
ment ;  and  this  not  so  much  because  my  guns  are  better,  as  be- 
cause I  have  good  powder,  and  they  do  not  know  how  to  load  a 
gun.  The  negro  idea  is  to  put  in  as  much  powder  as  he  dares, 
and  on  top  of  this  as  much  old  iron  as  he  can  anbrd  to  throw 
away  in  one  shot.  If  the  powder  was  of  only  average  strength 
they  would  blow  themselves  to  pieces,  but  the  traders  on  the 
coast  make  it  very  mild  by  adulterations ;  and  I  have  actually 
seen  bits  of  iron  of  various  shapes  rammed  into  a  gun  till  it  was 
loaded  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the  muzzle.  Consequently,  the 
recoil  is  heavy ;  they  dare  not  hold  the  guns  to  their  shoulders, 
and  blaze  away  very  much  at  a  venture. 

"Walking  over  to  another  part  of  the  forest,  about  three  quar- 
ters of  an  hour  distant,  we  again  spread  our  nets.  Here  we  had 
better  luck,  catching  quite  a  number  of  antelopes,  deer,  and  some 
smaller  animals.  This  seemed  enough  for  one  day,  of  which  I 
was  very  glad,  for  I  was  tired  out. 

Before  breaking  up,  all  the  game  caught  was  laid  together,  that 
all  might  see  it.  And  now  I  had  opportunity  to  notice  the  curi- 
ous little  dogs,  about  a  foot  high,  and  sharp-eared,  who  had  been 
of  such  material  assistance  driving  the  animals  into  our  toils. 
They  were  standing  looking  at  their  prizes  with  eager  and  hungry 
eyes.  They  do  not  look  very  intelligent,  but  are  of  the  greatest 
use  in  this  sport,  because  when  they  bark  the  game  is  never  far 
off,  and  thus  they  warn  the  hunters.  Often  they  go  out  on  hunts 
for  themselves ;  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  half  a  dozen  dogs 
to  drive  an  antelope  to  the  neighborhood  of  their  village,  where 
they  give  tongue,  and  the  hunters  come  out  and  kill  their  quarry. 

When  we  returned  to  the  village,  one  antelope  was  put  aside 


140  ATTACKED  BY  BASHIKOUAY. 

• 

for  me,  being  a  new  species,  and  the  rest  of  the  meat  was  immedi- 
ately divided.  We  were  all  very  hungry,  and  cooking  began  at 
once.  I  confess  I  could  hardly  wait  for  the  dinner,  which  was 
one  worthy  an  emperor's  palate,  consisting  of  plantains  cooked  in 
various  ways,  and  venison  of  the  tenderest,  stewed  in  lemon-juice, 
and  also  roasted.  Only  coffee  was  wanting,  for  my  coffee  gave 
out  some  days  ago. 

I  was  glad  to  go  to  sleep  early,  but  was  scarce  soundly  asleep 
when  I  was  turned  out  of  the  house  by  a  furious  attack  of  the 
basliikouay  ants.  They  were  already  all  over  me  when  I  jump- 
ed up,  and  I  was  bitten  terribly.  I  ran  out  into  the  street  and 
called  for  help.  The  natives  came  out,  and  lights  were  struck, 
and  presently  I  was  relieved.  But  now  we  found  that  the  whole 
village  was  attacked.  The  great  army  was  pouring  in  on  us, 
doubtless  excited  by  the  smell  of  meat  in  the  houses;  and  my 
unfortunate  antelope  had  probably  brought  them  to  my  door. 
All  hands  had  to  turn  out  to  defend  ourselves.  We  built  little 
cordons  of  fire,  which  kept  them  away  from  places  they  had  not 
yet  entered,  and  thus  protected  our  persons  from  their  attacks ; 
and  toward  morning,  having  eaten  every  thing  they  could  get  at, 
they  left  us  in  peace.  As  was  to  be  expected,  I  found  my  ante- 
lope destroyed — literally  eaten  up. 

The  vast  number,  the  sudden  appearance,  the  ferocity  and  vo- 
racity of  these  frightful  animals  never  cease  to  astonish  me.  Last 
night  they  poured  in  literally  by  millions  and  billions,  and  only 
when  many  fires  were  lighted  were  they  forced  from  that  direct 
and  victorious  course  which  they  generally  hold.  Then,  howev- 
er, they  retreated  in  parties  and  with  the  greatest  regularity,  vast 
numbers  remaining  to  complete  the  work  of  destruction. 

The  country  about  Yoongoolapay's  village  is  quite  hilly,  some 
of  the  hills  being  almost  worthy  to  be  called  mountain  peaks. 
Every  where  a  dense  forest  covered  the  earth.  There  were  plen- 
tiful signs  of  iron  here  in  the  red  color  of  the  earth  and  the  abun- 
dance of  ferruginous  quartz  scattered  all  over  the  ground.  Blocks 
of  a  peculiar  blackish  stone  formed  the  river-beds,  and  also  the 
sides  of  the  hills,  which  were  divided  by  these  layers  into  regular 
steps  or  terraces.  Of  these  stones  and  the  quartz  I  gathered  spec- 
imens, but  they  were  lost,  with  much  more,  by  a  fire  which  de- 
stroyed the  finest  collection  of  subjects  of  natural  history  I  had 
gathered  in  Africa. 


n 


WELCOME  TO  THE  NEW  MOON.  141 

The  negroes  of  the"Villages  differ  in  little  from  those  on  the 
coast  whom  the  reader  has  already  been  introduced  to,  except 
that  they  are  dirtier.  There  is  nothing  more  disgusting  than  the 
toilet  of  one  of  these  Mbicho  fellows,  except  it  be  the  toilet  of  his 
wife.  The  women  seem  to  lay  on  the  oil  and  red  earth  thicker 
than  their  husbands ;  seem  to  wear  dirtier  cloths  about  their  mid- 
dles, and  are  actually  less  endurable  when  gathered  in  a  crowd 
about  a  fire,  as  is  their  wont,  than  the  men.  Every  day  almost  a 
party  of  men  and  women  crowd  into  my  hut  to  see  my  stuffing 
operations,  and  scarce  are  they  there  than  I  have  to  leave,  the 
odor  is  so  insufferably  sickening. 

But  they  are  kind-hearted,  and,  though  tempted  sometimes  to 
steal,  the  mere  fact  that  I,  a  stranger  and  a  white  man,  supposed 
to  be  the  possessor  of  untold  wealth,  could  travel  through  all 
these  tribes  alone  and  remain  unmolested,  is  evidence  enough 
that  the  black  fellows  of  this  part  of  Africa  are  not  such  a  bad 
set. 

I  noticed  in  this  village  a  custom  or  superstition  which  is  com- 
mon to  all  the  tribes  I  have  visited,  and  the  reason,  or  supposed 
reason  for  which  I  have  never  been  able  to  persuade  any  one  to 
tell  me.  On  the  first  night  when  the  new  moon  is  visible  all  is 
kept  silent  in  the  village ;  nobody  speaks  but  in  an  under-tone ; 
and  in  the  course  of  the  evening  King  Alapay  came  out  of  his 
house  and  danced  along  the  street,  his  face  and  body  painted  in 
black,  red,  and  white,  and  spotted  all  over  with  spots  the  size  of  a 
peach.  In  the  dim  moonlight  he  had  a  frightful  appearance, 
which  made  me  shudder  at  first.  I  asked  him  why  he  painted 
thus,  but  he  only  answered  by  pointing  to  the  moon,  without 
speaking  a  word. 

There  are  other  and  varying  ceremonies  in  different  tribes  to 
welcome  the  new  moon ;  but  in  all  the  men  mark  their  bodies 
with  charmed  chalk,  or  ochre ;  and  no  one  has  ever  been  prevailed 
on  to  tell  me  the  meaning  of  the  rites  or  the  particulars  of  the 
belief.    I  suppose  the  common  men  do  not  know  it  themselves. 

After  a  stay  of  a  week  with  Alapay,  I  determined  to  move  on, 
and  gave  the  king  to  understand  that  he  must  give  me  men  to 
carry  my  baggage,  which  was  now  very  considerable ;  for  I  had 
added  some  birds  and  animals  to  it  here,  and  had  already  a  great 
deal  when  I  arrived. 

A  day  was  accordingly  appointed,  and  the  king  proposed  to  go 


142 


PECULIAEITIES  OF  THIS  EEGION. 


along  with  me,  of  which  I  was  but  too  glacl.  The  poor  villagers 
came  in  a  body  and  asked  me  to  stay  longer ;  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  my  departure  all  hands  assembled  to  bid  me  good-by.  I 
gave  each  some  leaves  of  tobacco,  with  which  they  were  immensely 
delighted,  and  then  shook  hands  all  round.  Our  departure  took 
place  amid  the  firing  of  guns  and  the  shouts  of  the  people,  some 
of  whom  were  almost  moved  to  tears.  The  African's  affections 
are  easily  excited ;  and  these  people  had  been  so'kind  to  me.  they 
felt  as  though  they  had  a  great  interest  in  me. 

Our  path  lay  through  an  immense  forest — a  grand  solitude, 
gloomy  and,  even  at  midday,  unpenetrated  by  the  sun.  Here 
the  silence  was  only  made  more  striking  by  the  occasional  shrill 
scream  of  a  parrot  or  the  chatter  of  a  monkey.  "We  saw  no  other 
animals,  though  elephant -tracks  abounded,  and  the  leopard  is 
known  to  frequent  these  woods. 

It  is  a  most  singular  thing  that  no  hippopotami  are  found  be- 
tween the  Gaboon  and  the  Moondah,  whereas  south  of  the  equator 
they  abound  in  all  the  rivers  and  lakes,  particularly — as  we  shall 
see  farther  on  —  in  the  Nazareth  and  the  Cape  Lopez  rivers. 
Also,  they  reappear  at  a  certain  distance  north  of  the  equator,  so 
that  there  is  this  narrow  tract  or  belt  which  they  avoid.  The 
same  may  be  remarked  of  the  ostrich ;  while  the  elephant  of  this 
narrow  belt  should  be  a  variety,  if  one  may  judge  of  the  ivory, 
which  is  that  peculiar  and  highly-valued  kind  which,  on  being 
first  cut,  is  greenish  rather  than  white ;  and  when  turned  white 
retains  its  color  and  does  not  quickly  turn  yellow,  as  is  so  com- 
mon with  ivory.  The  biggest  ivory  of  the  coast  comes  from  this 
belt  under  the  equator.  I  have  seen  a  tusk  whose  weight  was 
110  pounds,  but  this  was  an  extraordinary  instance ;  the  most 
weigh  from  twenty  to  fifty  pounds.  They  are  mostly  of  a  shin- 
ing coffee  color  outside,  and  I  have  seen  some  which  were  as 
black  as  coal. 

Alapay's  wife  (his  head-wife)  made  me  a  quantity  of  igouma,  or 
cassava-bread,  the  day  before  we  started,  so  that  with  a  little  fish 
and  some  plantains  I  was  not  likely  to  starve,  even  if  we  did  not 
enter  any  villages  on  the  way.  The  igouma  is  made  by  pounding 
and  making  a  paste  of  the  cassava.  This  paste  is  boiled,  and  be- 
comes then  very  thick  and  firm.  It  is  now  shaped  into  loaves  a 
foot  long  and  four  or  five  inches  in  circumference,  and  permitted 
to  dry,  when  it  becomes  hard  and  tough,  and  may  be  kept  sever- 


A  FINE  WATERFALL. 


143 


al  weeks,  though  it  sours  and  becomes  unfit  for  a  civilized  stom- 
ach generally  after  two  or  three  days.  But  it  will  not  do  to  be 
squeamish  in  Africa,  which,  with  all  its  tropical  richness  of  vege- 
tation, is  as  good  a  place  to  starve  in  as  any  man  could  desire. 

In  the  afternoon,  shortly  after  eating  our  dinner  of  igouma  and 
dried  fish,  we  came  to  a  Mbicho  village,  where  the  people  all 
turned  out  to  get  a  look  at  me,  as  they  had  never  seen  a  white 
man  before.  They  were  a  wild  set,  and  evidently  regarded  me  as 
a  very  strange  monster. 

Some  hours  after  leaving  this  village  we  came  to  a  high  ridge 
or  plateau,  along  which  were  strewn  some  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary boulders  I  ever  saw ;  immense  blocks  of  granite  covering 
the  ground  in  every  direction,  and  many  of  them  between  thirty 
and  forty  feet  high  by  one  hundred  long  or  more.  This  hill  or 
ridge  was  the  highest  I  had  seen  between  the  Moondah  and  the 
Muni ;  and  I  think  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  trees  which  ob- 
structed even  this  view,  I  should  have  been  able  to  see  the  ocean. 

Near  to  the  largest  of  these  granite  masses,  a  huge  rock  rising 
some  fifty  feet  out  of  the  ground,  I  saw  the  entrance — between 
solid  rocks — to  a  fine  large  cavern,  much  used  by  the  natives  as 
a  house  to  stop  in  over  night  when  they  are  traveling  back  and 
forth,  and  very  comfortable,  as  it  is  open  to  the  light,  and  its  vast 
opening  admits  such  a  flood  of  sunlight  and  air  that  it  is  not  like- 
ly to  be  used  as  a  lair  for  wild  beasts.  "We  saw  the  remains  of 
various  fires  inside ;  but  I  am  bound  to  say  we  saw  also  the  tracks 
of  various  leopards  and  other  dangerous  beasts  on  the  outside,  for 
which  reason  I  did  not  care  to  sleep  there. 

While  exploring  the  cavern  I  thought  several  times  I  heard  a 
trickling  which  seemed  almost  like  the  noise  of  rain ;  in  fact, 
when  we  got  out  I  was  surprised  to  find  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky. 
Turning  for  an  explanation  to  Alapay,  he  lead  me  along  a  path 
which  evidently  led  to  the  trickling,  which  soon  grew  in  our  ears 
to  the  sound  of  rushing  waters.  Presently  we  came  to  the  edge 
of  a  steep  declivity,  and  here  I  saw  before  and  around  me  a  most 
charming  landscape,  the  centre  of  which  was  a  most  beautiful  wa- 
terfall. A  stream  which  meandered  along  the  slope  of  the  plateau, 
ahd  which  had  until  now  escaped  us,  had  here  made  its  way  through 
a  vast  granite  block  which  barred  its  course,  and,  rushing  through 
the  narrow  round  hole  in  this  block,  fell  in  one  silvery  cascade  for 
fifty  feet  down  to  the  lower  level.    Clear,  sparkling,  and  pure  as 


144  A  PANIC. 

water  could  be,  it  rushed  down  to  its  pebbly  bed — a  sight  so 
charming  to  my  eyes,  long  wearied  of  the  monotony  of  the  interior 
forests,  that  I  sat  for  some  time  and  literally  "  feasted  my  eyes" 
upon  it. 

Then  came  an  attempt  to  have  a  view  from  the  bottom.  Aft- 
er some  difficult  climbing  we  got  to  the  bottom,  and  looking  up, 
beheld,  under  the  fall,  a  hole  in  the  perpendicular  face  of  the 
rock,  which  formed  evidently  the  mouth  of  a  cavern. 

I  determined  to  enter  this.  "We  lit  some  torches.  I  took  my 
revolver  and  gun,  and,  accompanied  by  two  men,  made  good  my 
entrance  without  getting  wet.  Once  inside,  where  probably  man 
had  never  before  stood,  we  excited  the  astonishment  of  vast  num- 
bers of  huge  vampire  bats,  who  fluttered  around  our  lights,  threat- 
ening each  moment  to  leave  us  in  darkness,  and  the  motion  of 
whose  wings  filled  the  cavern  with  a  kind  of  dull  thunderous  roar. 

When  we  had  advanced  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
mouth  we  came  to  a  stream  or  puddle  of  water  extending  entire- 
ly across  the  floor  and  barring  our  way.  My  men,  who  had  gone 
thus  far  under  protest,  now  desired  to  return,  and  urged  me  not 
to  go  into  the  water  or  beyond,  because  all  sorts  of  wild  beasts  and 
snakes  were  sure  to  be  lying  in  wait  for  us.  At  the  word  snakes 
I  hesitated,  for  I  confess  to  a  great  dread  of  serpents  in  the  dark 
or  in  confined  places,  where  a  snake  is  likely  to  get  the  advantage 
of  a  man. 

Peering  into  the  darkness  beyond,  I  thought  I  saw  two  bright 
sparks  or  coals  of  eyes  gleaming  savagely  at  us.  Without  think- 
ing of  the  consequences,  I  leveled  my  gun  at  the  shining  objects 
and  fired.  The  report  for  a  moment  deafened  us.  Then  came  a 
redoubled  rush  of  the  great  hideous  bats ;  it  seemed  to  me  millions 
on  millions  of  these  animals  suddenly  launched  out  on  us  from  all 
parts  of  the  surrounding  gloom ;  our  torches  were  extinguished 
in  an  instant,  and,  panic-struck,  we  all  made  for  the  cavern's  mouth 
— I  with  visions  of  enraged  snakes  springing  after  and  trying  to 
catch  up  with  me.  We  were  all  glad  enough  to  reach  daylight 
once  more,  and  I  think  my  men  could  not  have  been  persuaded  to 
try  the  darkness  again. 

The  scene  outside  was  as  charming  as  that  within  was  hideous. 
I  stood  long  looking  at  one  of  the  most  beautiful  landscapes  I 
met  in  Africa.  Before  me,  the  little  stream,  whose  fall  over  the 
cliff  behind  me  filled  the  whole  forest  with  a  gentle  roar,  ran  on 


>  ELEPHANT-TRACKS. 


145 


between  steep  banks  which  sometimes  seemed  almost  to  meet  and 
hide  it.  Away  down  the  valley  we  could  see  its  course,  traced 
like  a  silver  line  over  the  plain,  finally  losing  itself  to  our  sight  in 
a  denser  part  of  the  forest.  The  valley  itself  was  a  pleasant  wood- 
ed plain,  which  it  seemed  the  hand  of  man  had  not  yet  disturbed, 
and  whence  the  song  of  birds,  and  the  chatter  of  monkeys,  and 
hum  of  insects  came  up  to  us  in  a  confusion  of  sounds  very  pleas- 
ant to  the  ear. 

"We  could  not  loiter  long  over  this  scene,  however.  I  was  anx- 
ious to  get  to  the  sea-shore,  and  we  set  off  again  to  make  as  good 
progress  before  dark  as  possible.  The  forest  abounded  in  vines, 
which  were  every  moment  getting  in  our  way,  and  briers,  which 
were  even  worse,  so  that  traveling  in  the  dark,  if  we  had  to  do  it, 
was  like  to  be  very  unpleasant.  The  whole  of  this  country 
abounds  in  little  rivulets  and  streams,  which  take  their  rise  in 
these  first  hills  which  we  were  crossing  this  afternoon  and  run 
down  toward  the  sea-shore,  some  losing  themselves  ere  getting 
there,  and  others  emptying  their  tiny  loads  of  fresh  water  into  the 
great  Atlantic. 

I  suppose  the  elephants  like  plenty  of  water ;  we  found  our- 
selves almost  continually  crossing  or  following  elephants'  tracks. 
Indeed,  my  men  walked  very  cautiously,  expecting  every  mo- 
ment to  find  ourselves  face  to  face  with  a  herd.  But  they  are 
very  shy  in  this  part -of  the  country,  being  much  chased  for  the 
ivory ;  and  keep  a  good  watch  for  their  enemy,  man. 

At  last  the  country  became  quite  flat,  the  elephant-tracks 
ceased,  and  presently,  as  we  neared  a  stream,  we  came  to  a  man- 
grove swamp.  It  was  almost  like  seeing  an  old  friend,  or  an  old 
enemy,  for  the  reminiscences  of  musquitoes,  tedious  navigation, 
and  malaria  which  the  mangrove-tree  brought  up  in  my  mind, 
were  by  no  means  pleasant.  From  a  mangrove-tree  to  a  man- 
grove swamp  is  but  a  step.    They  never  stand  alone. 

Presently  we  stood  once  more  on  the  banks  of  the  little  stream 
whose  clear,  pellucid  waters  had  so  charmed  me  a  little  farther  up 
country.  Now  it  was  only  a  swamp.  Its  bed,  no  longer  narrow, 
was  spread  over  a  flat  of  a  mile,  and  the  now  muddy  waters  me- 
andered slowly  through  an  immense  growth  of  mangroves,  whose 
roots  extended  entirely  across  and  met  in  the  middle,  showing  their 
huge  rounds  above  the  mire  and  water,  like  the  folds  of  some  vast 
serpent.  » 

K 


146 


CROSSING  A  MANGROVE  SWAMP. 


It  was  high  tide,  and  there  was  not  a  canoe  to  be  had.  To 
sleep  on  this  side  among  the  mangroves  and  be  eaten  up  by  mus- 
quitoes,  was  not  a  pleasant  prospect,  and  to  me  there  seemed  no 
other.  But  my  men  were  not  troubled  at  all.  We  were  to  cross 
over,  quite  easily  too,  on  the  roots  which  projected  over  the  wa- 
ter's edge,  and  which  lay  from  two  to  three  feet  apart  at  irregular 
distances.  It  seemed  a  desperate  venture ;  but  tbey  set  out,  jump- 
ing like  monkeys  from  place  to  place,  and  I  followed,  expecting 
every  moment  to  fall  in  between  and  stick  in  the  mud,  perhaps  to 
be  attacked  by  some  noxious  reptile  whose  rest  my  fall  would  dis- 
turb. I  had  to  take  off  my  shoes,  whose  thick  soles  made  me 
more  likely  to  slip.  I  gave  all  my  baggage,  and  guns,  and  pis- 
tols to  the  men,  and  then  commenced  a  journey  whose  like  I  hope 
never  to  take  again.  "We  were  an  hour  in  getting  across — an 
hour  of  continual  jumps  afid  hops.  In  the  midst  of  it  all  a  man 
behind  me  flopped  into  the  mud,  calling  out "  Omemba"  in  a  fright- 
ened voice. 

Now  "omemba"  means  snake.  The  poor  fellow  had  put  his 
hand  on  an  enormous  black  snake,  and,  feeling  its  cold,  slimy 
scales,  let  go  his  hold  and  fell  through.  All  hands  immediately 
began  to  run  faster  than  before,  and  to  shout  and  make  all  kinds 
of  noises  to  frighten  the  serpent.  But  the  poor  animal  also  took 
fright,  and  began  to  crawl  away  among  the  branches  as  fast  as  he 
could.  Unfortunately,  his  fright  led  him  directly  toward  some 
of  us ;  and  a  general  panic  now  ensued,  every  body  running  as 
fast  as  he  could  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  danger.  Another  man 
fell  into  the  mud  below,  and  added  his  cries  to  the  general  noise. 
I  came  very  near  getting  a  mud-bath  myself,  but  luckily  I  escaped. 
But  my  feet  were  badly  cut  up. 

At  last  we  were  safe  across,  and  I  breathed  freely  once  more. 
A  little  way  from  the  edge  of  the  swamp  we  came  to  our  resting- 
place,  the  village  of  ah  old  friend  of  mine,  named  Kiug  Apouron. 
He  came  out  to  meet  me ;  guns  were  fired,  and  the  usual  African 
welcome  of  shouts  and  dances  gone  through  with,  and  then  we 
entered  the  village,  where  Alapay  and  Apouron  began  the  cere- 
monies of  introduction ;  the  former-giving  a  short  account  of  my 
various  adventures  in  his  village,  and  the  latter  listening  with  ap- 
parent interest,  and  once  in  a  while  exclaiming,  in  a  wondering 
way,  "  I  do  not  know  why  our  white  man  went  to  your  bush- 
country  !    I  do  not  know  why  he  should  go  there !" 


TO  KEEP  THE  DEVIL  OUT. 


149 


While  these  ceremonies  were  going  on,  I  walked  to  the  edge  of 
the  village  and  took  a  long  look,  for  before  me  lay  once  more  the 
i  ocean  and  Corisco  Bay.  I  had  often  on  this  trip  wished  myself 
back  here,  and  it  was  with  no  slight  feeling  of  gratitude  to  God, 
who  had  preserved  me  through  all,  that  I  looked  once  more  at 
the  ocean. 


TO  KEEP  THE  DEVIL  OUT. 


150 


TROUBLES  OF  A  TRAVELER. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Up  the  Moondah. — Vexations  of  a  Traveler  in  Africa. — Mangrove  Swamps. — 
Mbicho  Men  run  off. — Bashikouay  again. — Missionary  Station. — The  Bar-wood 
Trade. — Manner  of  getting  Bar-wood. — The  India-rubber  Vine. — How  Rubber  is 
gathered. — Torturing  a  Woman. — Adventure  with  a  wild  Bull. — Lying  out  for 
Game. — Bullock  and  Leopard. — Birds. 

It  was  now  near  the  end  of  October,  and  the  rainy  season  had 
fairly  set  in.  I  determined,  after  some  consideration,  to  make 
a  trip  up  the  Moondah  before  going  to  the  Gaboon ;  hoping,  in- 
deed, to  run  up  the  Moondah  and  cross  the  narrow  land  which 
separates  that  stream  from  the  Gaboon,  and  thus  return  down  the 
latter  to  my  head-quarters. 

My  specimens  were  sent  to  Corisco.  I  received  a  supply  of 
goods  which  would  suffice  for  buying  food  up  the  Moondah ;  and 
having  settled,  after  some  palaver,  with  Apourou,  who  thought 
the  less  goods  I  took  with  me  the  better  he  should  be  off,  I  at  last 
got  off  on  the  30th  of  October. 

The  process  of  making  ready  for  such  an  expedition  as  this  is 
very  tedious,  especially  if  the  traveler  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  king 
of  a  small  village.  I  had  to  rent  my  canoe,  buy  my  masts,  make 
my  sails,  go  round  through  the  village  and  purchase  my  pad- 
dles, and  finally  I  had  to  engage  my  men.  "When  all  this  was 
done,  the  goods  packed  aboard,  and  good-by  said,  I  had  been  ten 
days  engaged  in  preparations.  Time  is  of  no  value  to  the  Af- 
rican. 

We  had  a  head  wind,  but  nevertheless  saw  the  mouth  of  the 
Moondah  toward  afternoon  of  our  sailing  day.  The  tide  was  run- 
ning out,  and  against  us,  and,  as  the  wind  was  still  ahead,  our 
progress  was  slow ;  but  it  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  kill  some  of 
the  birds  which  come  down  here  to  get  their  living,  on  account 
of  the  abundance  of  fish  found  here.  The  shore,  the  mud  islands, 
and  the  waters  all  around  were  alive  with  these  birds.  Here  a 
flock  of  pelicans  swam  along  majestically,  keeping  at  a  good  dis- 
tance from  our  boat;  there  a  long  string  of  flamingoes  stretch- 
ed along  the  muddy  shore,  looking,  for  all  the  world,  like  a  line 


MY  MEN  DESERT. 


151 


of  fire ;  and  wherever  the  mud  peeped  out  of  the  water  there  were 
herons,  cranes,  gulls  of  various  kinds,  while  a  tree  on  the  shore 
was  covered  with  a  flock  of  the  beautiful  Egretta  flavirosiris,  whose 
pure  white  feathers  looked  like  snow  in  the  distance. 

Toward  sunset  we  arrived  at  the  Shekiani  village  where  I  in- 
tended to  stop.  The  king  I  had  known  before,  and  thought  he 
would  help  me  up  farther.  This  village  lay  at  the  top  of  one  of 
the  only  two  hills  I  saw  on  the  Moondah,  and  these  are  both  at 
its  mouth.  It  is  throughout  a  low-banked,  swampy  stream,  over- 
run with  mangroves,  and  half  dry  when  the  tide  runs  out.  It 
used  to  afford  a  good  deal  of  India-rubber,  and  the  bar- wood  trade 
is  always  very  brisk ;  also  it  produces  a  little  beeswax,  and  a  trifle 
of  ebony  and  ivory.  Thus  the  Shekianis  are  known  to  white  men, 
who  come  there  often  in  their  vessels  to  trade  with  them.  Sev- 
eral thousand  tons  of  bar-wood  are  taken  annually. 

On  the  5th  of  November  I  started  with  a  new  crew  up  river. 
I  found  one  vast,  continuous  mangrove  swamp,  in  which  no  vil- 
lages could  be  found — these  lying  mostly  away  from  the  main 
stream  on  little  creeks,  which,  being  dry  at  low  tide,  could  be  vis- 
ited only  with  difficulty.  From  these  gloomy  mangrove  forests 
went  up  a  stench  of  decaying  matter  which  was  not  only  un- 
healthy, but  unpleasant.  Add  to  this  the  constant  risk  of  getting 
our  canoe  on  a  mud-bank,  and  a  persistent  drizzle  with  which  wc 
were  favored  all  day,  and  you  will  see  that  the  day's  journey  was 
not  pleasant. 

Near  sunset  we  came  to  a  Mbicho  village.  The  Mbicho  speak 
a  variety  of  the  Shekiani,  and  we  could  therefore  make  ourselves 
understood.  I  spent  the  night  here,  and  found  in  the  morning 
that  my  men  had  run  away  with  the  canoe,  leaving  me,  fortunate- 
ly, my  goods,  but  no  means  of  getting  ahead.  I  had  paid  them 
beforehand.  I  learned  that  they  had  had  trouble  with  a  village 
we  should  have  to  pass,  and  did  not  dare  to  go  higher. 

The  Mbicho,  of  course,  were  delighted  to  have  me  at  their  mer- 
cy, and  determined,  good  fellows,  to  make  as  much  out  of  me  as 
possible.  I  began  operations  by  feeing  the  king — privately,  of 
course — who  thereupon  told  his  people  that  I  wanted  men  and  a 
canoe,  and  that  I  was  his  dearest  friend.  There  was  much  squab- 
ling  ;  and,  finally,  I  succeeded  in  engaging  four  men  to  go  with 
me  for  ten  yards  of  prints  each ;  but  not  to-day — to-morrow.  To- 
morrow is  the  favorite  word  in  Africa. 


152 


MANGROVE  SWAMPS. 


Meantime  I  learned  that  some  white  men  lived  farther  up,  and 
knew  at  once  they  must  be  missionaries,  whom  I  determined  to 
see.  Accordingly,  next  morning,  we  started  again — this  time  in  a 
very  small  canoe,  and  with  no  conveniences  of  any  kind.  We 
were  still  among  mangrove  swamps ;  and  it  was  curious  to  see 
tthat  the  branches  of  this  tree,  which  hung  in  the  water  at  high 
tide,  and  were  bare  at  low  tide,  were  covered  thickly  with  oysters. 

Between  the  mud,  the  smell,  and  the  hot  sun,  which  poured 
down  on  my  head  all  day,  I  got  a  violent  headache,  which  disap- 
peared only  when  we  came  to  a  sudden  and  beautiful  change  of 
scenery.  About  forty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Moondah  the 
tide  ceases  to  affect  the  river,  and  the  swamps  disappear.  As  we 
were  sailing  along  we  came  to  a  turn  in  the  river,  rounding  which 
we  found  ourselves  in  what  seemed  really  another  land.  The 
mangroves  had  entirely  disappeared,  the  banks  of  the  river  were 
higher,  and  the  stream  itself  rolled  along  with  a  life-like  current 
between  its  well-defined  banks.  Palms,  and  the  usual  vegetation 
of  the  African  upland,  bordered  the  banks,  and  here  and  there 
large  trees  projecting  over  met  in  the  middle,  and  formed  a  fine 
arbor,  beneath  which  we  sailed,  relieved  of  the  burning  rays  of 
the  sun. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  small  creek,  and  rowing  up  that  for  a 
mile,  I  saw  before  me  a  narrow  path  which  was  to  lead  me  over 
to  the  Ikoi  Creek,  where  my  friends  the  missionaries  were  living. 

The  Moondah  is  a  most  disagreeable  and  unhealthy  river — one 
vast  swamp,  which  seems  little  likely  ever  to  be  useful  to  man. 
I  was  forced  to  take  quinine  twice  a  day  while  going  up,  and  the 
few  natives  who  live  near  its  banks  are  a  poor  set,  sickly,  and 
with  little  energy. 

Back  of  the  swamp,  however,  there  are  hills  and  a  high  coun- 
try, where  the  bar- wood-tree  exists  in  great  abundance.  The  na- 
tives cut  great  quantities  of  it  every  year ;  and  if  it  did  not  grow 
fast  and  in  the  greatest  plenty  they  would  long  since  have  ex- 
hausted it,  as  well  here  as  on  the  Muni  and  the  Gaboon. 

We  traveled  along  our  path  till  dark,  when  we  fell  in  with  a 
Bakalai  village.  The  people  wanted  me  to  stay,  but  their  mo- 
tions were  suspicious,  and  I  would  not.  We  got  torches,  and  I 
sent  a  man  ahead  and  kept  one  behind,  to  light  us  on  our  way. 
In  this  village  I  saw  an  Albino,  his  face  quite  white,  and  his  hah 
flaxen — a  very  singular  sight. 


ATTACKED  BY  BASHIKOUAY. 


153 


We  bad  not  gone  far  with  our  torches  when  I  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  step  into  an  army  of  bashikouay  ants.  I  was  covered 
with  them  in  an  instant,  and  screamed  for  help.  The  men  rush- 
ed for  me  and  helped  me  to  strip  myself,  which  done,  we  killed 
what  remained  on  my  body.  For  a  few  minutes  I  suffered  the 
most  frightful  torments,  and  was  glad  enough  to  have  all  the  help 
I  could  against  these  terrible  animals. 

Having  well  shaken  out  my  clothes,  I  put  them  on  again — 
having  gotten  out  of  the  way  of  the  ants,  of  course — and  we  pro- 
ceeded. 

We  next  found  that  we  were  on  the  wrong  road.  We  retraced 
our  steps  and  got  into  the  right  path,  but  had  gone  but  a  little 
way  when  once  more  I  had  the  misfortune  to  step  into  an  arm}*- 
of  bashikouay.  This  time  I  was  prepared.  In  an  instant  I  was 
stripped,  and,  though  I  was  severely  bitten,  yet  I  got  off  easier 
than  before. 

By  this  time  my  clothes  were  all  torn  to  pieces  by  the  sharp 
thorns,  and  I  was  beginning  to  think  that  the  company  of  the 
Bakalai  rascals  would  have  been  better  than  this  traveling  by 
night ;  when  the  men  announced  that  we  were  now  nearing  the 
Ikoi  village.  I  was  completely  exhausted,  and  could  not  have 
walked  another  mile,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  never  to  travel 
through  the  woods  again  by  night. 

The  natives  were  still  lying  about  their  fires  when  we  arrived 
in  the  village,  and  I  was  shown  the  missionaries'  house,  knock- 
ing whom  up,  I  found  to  my  joy  that  these  missionaries  who  now 
resided  here  were  both  old  friends  of  mine,  Bev.  Messrs.  Best 
and  Pierce,  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  They  were  filling  the  place 
formerly  occupied  here  by  my  friend  Bev.  Mr.  Preston  and  his 
good  wife. 

Here  I  found  a  welcome,  and,  at  last,  once  more  a  real  bed  to 
sleep  upon,  and  had  some  opportunity  to  rest  my  wearied  limbs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Best,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preston,  and  Mr.  Pierce  had 
labored  for  some  years  among  the  Bakalai  about  the  Ikoi.  They 
understood  the  Bakalai  language,  and  taught  the  children  here  in 
the  Scriptures  and  other  branches  of  knowledge  with  considerable 
success.  Let  me  give  here  an  account- of  a  day  of  the  life  of  these 
missionaries. 

Every  body  rose  at  daybreak,  and  presently  after  a  little  bell 
called  the  servants  and  strangers  into  a  little  room  which  serves 


154 


BAR-WOOD. 


as  parlor,  and  sitting-room,  and  library,  where  morning  prayera 
were  offered  in  the  Bakalai  language ;  the  Bible  being  read  also 
in  Bakalai  from  a  translation  made  by  Messrs.  Best  and  Preston. 

Then  came  breakfast ;  after  which  the  scholars  played  until 
nine  o'clock,  when  the  ringing  of  a  bell  called  them  to  school. 
School  was  opened  by  a  hymn  sung  by  all  the  children,  followed 
by  prayer.  Then  came  recitations  of  the  classes.  They  seemed 
particularly  well  up  in  geography  when  I  was  there,  but  had  just 
begun  arithmetic,  and  were  doing  immense  sums  in  addition. 
The  children  seemed  to  enjoy  the  schooling;  and  as  the  mission- 
aries are  kind  to  them,  and  their  studies  are  not  very  difficult, 
while  their  play-hours  are  long,  it  seems  natural  that  they  should 
like  it.  From  twelve  to  two  was  recess ;  and  then  the  girls  took 
lessons  in  sewing,  their  great  ambition  being  to  sew  well  enough 
to  make  shirts.  Also  in  the  afternoon  the  boys  were  taught  writ- 
ing, and  I  remarked  that  some  of  them  wrote  beautiful  hands. 

The  people  about  here  are  engaged  in  the  bar-wood  trade,  and 
a  good  deal  of  this  dye-wood  is  shipped  down  this  creek  to  the 
Gaboon,  and  also  down  to  the  Moondah. 

Bar-wood,  as  I  have  before  explained,  is  a  red  dye-wood.  It  is 
the  trunk  of  what  the  natives  call  the  ego-tree,  a  large,  tall,  very 
graceful  tree,  with  abundant  branches  high  up,  small  bright-green 
leaves,  and  a  beautiful  smooth  reddish-colored  bark.  It  is  very 
abundant  in  the  forests  of  this  part  of  Africa.  In  fact  the  supply 
may  be  considered  as  inexhaustible,  the  labor  of  bringing  it  to 
market  being  the  most  costly  part  of  its  production. 

Though  great  traders,  these  natives  have  no  ideas  about  laying 
up  a  store  of  their  products  before  it  is  wanted.  This  is  what  de- 
tains trading- vessels  so  long  on  the  coast.  When  a  vessel  comes 
for  bar-wood,  the  news  immediately  spreads  all  about  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  the  men  bestir  themselves  to  get  a  supply  down. 
There  is  great  excitement  among  the  villages;  and  this  particu- 
larly if  it  happens  that  the  chief  of  the  village  has  friends  among 
those  to  whom  the  captain  has  "  given  his  trust" — that  is  to  say. 
those  with  whom  he  is  going  to  deal,  and  for  whom  he  has  brought 
goods.  9 

Every  man  immediately  goes  out  to  the  forest  and  selects  a 
tree  for  himself,  which  he  begins  to  cut  down.  The  bar-wood  of 
commerce  is  the  heart  or  main  part  of  the  trunk,  and  is  fed.  The 
useful  wood  is  surrounded  by  a  covering  of  white  sap-wood  about 


THE  INDIA -KUBBER  VINE. 


155 


two  inches  thick,  which  is  useless,  and  is  carefully  cut  off.  Then 
the  wood  is  cut  into  lengths  of  three  feet,  each  piece  weighing 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds.  The  father  and  his  children  cut 
and  split  the  wood,  and  the  wives  carry,  it  into  the  villages,  and 
the  latter  thereupon  claim  a  distinct  part  of  the  returns,  which 
they  get,  though  often  unwillingly.  Bar-wood  is  so  low-priced  in 
Europe  that  the  natives  here  get  but  very  small  prices,  and  five 
dollars  for  a  hundred  billets  is  already  a  high  rate.  As  they 
have  to  carry  every  thing  down  to  the  sea  on  their  backs,  unless 
they  are  lucky  enough  to  live  near  rivers  or  creeks,  they  have  to 
work  hard  enough  for  the  little  they  get. 

The  India-rubber  vine  afforded  once  one  of  the  largest  exports 
of  this  part  of  the  coast.  The  caoutchouc  of  Africa  is  obtained 
from  a  vine  (called  dambo  by  the  natives),  and  not  from  a  tree. 
This  vine  is  of  immense  length,  and  has  singularly  few  leaves, 
and  only  at  the  extremity  of  the  vine.  The  leaves  are  broad, 
dark  green,  and  lance-shaped.  The  bark  is  rough,  and  of  a  brown- 
ish hue.  A  large  vine  is  often  five  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base. 
To  get  the  best  India-rubber,  the  milk  must  be  taken  from  the  in- 
cision in  the  bark,  without  wounding  the  xvood,  as  this  has  a  juice; 
of  its  own,  which,  mixing  with  the  milk,  spoils  it. 

The  recently-growing  demand  for  this  product  has  induced  the 
natives  to  adulterate  it  with  the  milky  juice  of  various  trees  and 
vines  found  in  these  forests.  This  has  seriously  injured  their 
trade,  but  will  probably  result  in  saving  this  valuable  vine  from 
total  extinction  in  this  part  of  the  country.  This  disaster  was  like 
to  be  caused  by  the  foolish  improvidence  of  the  native  caoutchouc 
collectors,  who  bled  the  vines  at  so  many  pores  as  to  exhaust 
them  of  their  life-blood.  Thus,  some  years  ago,  thousands  of 
vines  were  destroyed  annually ;  and  as  the  vine  is  of  slow  growth, 
and  the  milk  of  the  young  vine  is  thin,  watery,  and  less  valuable, 
they  have  very  much  injured  themselves  and  the  reputation  of 
their  goods  by  even  tapping  these. 

For  some  years  the  trade  was  entirely  stopped ;  but  more  re- 
cently the  French  have  recommenced  it,  and  in  1859  an  Amer- 
ican vessel  was  sent  out  by  a  New  York  house,  Messrs.  James 
Bishop  &  Co.,  to  get  a  cargo. 

The  caoutchouc- vine  grows  equally  well  in  low  and  high 
ground,  but  is  found  most  plentiful  in  the  valleys  and  bottom- 
lands along  thVMuni  and  other  rivers.    The  milk  taken  from  the 


156 


NEGRO  BARBARITY. 


vines  growing  on  high  lands  is,  however,  thicker,  and  yields  a  bet- 
ter article  of  India-rubber. 

It  is  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  a  party  of  natives  setting  out  to 
gather  India-rubber.  I  once  accompanied  such  a  party,  my  ob- 
ject being  game,  while  theirs  was  caoutchouc.  For  several  days 
before  setting  out  the  women  were  busied  in  preparing  food,  and 
smoking  the  boiled  manioc  which  is  their  principal  subsistence. 
The  men  meantime  were  making  ready  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts  by  furbishing  up  their  spears 
and  guns.  Cutlasses  and  knives  were  sharpened,  and  the  wooden 
pots  in  which  the  precious  juice  was  to  be  gathered  were  careful- 
ly collected  and  made  ready  for  transportation ;  while  others  still 
prepared  the  wooden  moulds  in  which  the  juice  is  permitted  to 
solidify.  It  was  a  pleasant  scene  of  industry  and  excitement. 
The  negroes  rejoiced  beforehand  on  the  good  luck  they  hoped  to 
have. 

But  all  this  innocent  joy  was  destroyed  for  me  the  morning  be- 
fore we  set  out,  by  accidentally  stumbling  across  one  of  those  acts 
of  barbarism  which  chill  the  blood  of  a  civilized  man,  though  but 
slightly  regarded  by  the  negroes.  I  was  hunting  in  the  woods 
near  the  village,  and  saw  sitting  on  a  tree  at  some  distance  a  pair 
of  beautiful  green  pigeons  (ireron  Tiudiroslris),  which  I  wanted 
much  for  my  collection  of  birds.  By  dint  of  much  exertion  I 
penetrated  the  jungle  to  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  here  a  ghastly 
sight  met  my  eyes.  It  was  the  corpse  of  a  woman,  young  evi- 
dently, and  with  features  once  mild  and  good.  She  had  been  tied 
up  here  on  some  infernal  accusation  of  witchcraft  and  tortured. 
The  torture  consisted  in  lacerations  of  the  flesh  all  over  the  body, 
and  in  the  cuts  red  peppers  had  been  rubbed.  This  is  a  common 
mode  of  tormenting  with  these  people,  and  as  devilish  in  ingenu- 
ity as  any  thing  could  well  be.  Then  the  corpse  was  deserted. 
I  could  only  hope  the  poor  girl  died  of  her  wounds,  and  had  not 
to  wait  for  the  slower  process  of  agonized  starvation  to  which 
such  victims  are  left.  Will  the  reader  think  hard  of  me  that  I 
felt  it  in  my  heart  to  go  back  to  the  village  and  shoot  every  man 
who  had  a  hand  in  this  monstrous  barbarity  ?  But  what  would 
have  been  the  use  ?  Such  scenes  are  constantly  occurring  in  all 
parts  of  heathen  Africa,  and  will  continue  till  Christianity  is 
spread  abroad  here,  and  in  its  light  these  heathen  barbarisms  per- 
ish.   I  fear  it  will  be  many  a  long  year  yet.  W 


MODE  OF  GATIIEEING  INDIA-RUBBER.  157 

9  Gloomy  and  savage  with  this  remembrance,  I  set  out  with  the 
negroes,  whose  cheerful  songs  grated  harshly  on  my  ears.  I  won- 
dered how  people  could  sing  and  laugh  after  committing  such  a 
crime. 

The  party  were  in  high  spirits.  The  women  bore  on  their  de- 
voted backs  the  cooking  utensils  and  other  necessary  camp  equi- 
page. The  men  carried  only  their  arms.  We  traveled  all  day. 
and  part  of  the  second  day,  ere  the  ground  was  reached.  At  last 
the  vines  grew  plenty,  and  the  party  stopped  to  recon^bitre. 
After  a  two  hours'  exploration  the  men  returned  satisfied,  great- 
ly exaggerating,  of  course,  the  abundance  of  the  vines — they  ex- 
aggerate every  thing  —  but  all  agreeing  that  we  must  encamp 
where  we  were. 

Men  and  women  at  once  set  out  to  gather  large  leaves  with 
which  to  form  shelters  for  ourselves,  as  it  was  the  rainy  season, 
and  we  needed  to  be  protected  from  the  showers.  Branches  and 
leaves  were  also  collected  for  our  beds ;  and  a  huge  fire  was  built 
to  protect  us  from  the  incursions  of  leopards,  who  are  plentiful  in 
these  woods,  and  quite  daring  enough  to  attempt  a  meal  even  from 
so  large  a  party  as  ours. 

"We  slept  close  around  the  camp-fire,  with  our  guns  in  readiness 
to  resist  any  venturesome  leopards ;  but,  for  this  night,  only  heard 
the  terrible  roar  of  the  beast  at  a  distance. 

The  next  morning  each  man  took  his  own  family  and  went  out 
on  an  independent  prospecting  tour.  These  negroes  have  no  idea 
of  working  together.  Though  they  set  out  in  a  large  company, 
this  is  only  to  protect  themselves  against  wild  beasts.  Once  on 
the  ground,  every  family  works  for  itself,  hunting  up  its  own  vines, 
and  carrying  away  separately  the  fruits  of  its  toil.  Thus  it  comes 
about  that  some  are  lucky  and  others  unlucky ;  whence  originate 
quarrels,  accusations  of  theft,  often  fights,  in  which  the  weaker, 
of  course,  is  the  sufferer.  The  scene  is  not  so  pastoral  as  it  might 
be. 

The  negroes  staid  out  all  day,  and  at  night  came  in,  each  bear- 
ing little  jars  of  milk  gathered  during  the  day.  The  milk  was 
now  poured  into  the  wooden  cylinders  in  which  it  is  permitted  to 
congeal ;  and  then  all  once  more  gathered  about  the  fire,  and  re- 
lated, with  much  noisy  declamation,  the  adventures  of  the  day. 

On  this  first  day  I  shot  several  mare"  or  wild  buffalo  (Bos 
brachicheros).    It  is  a  very  savage  beast,  and  one,  which  I  only 


158  FIGHT  WITH  A  BUFFALO. 

| 

wounded,  attacked  me.    I  had  taken  good  aim,  but  m}'  bulUl 

struck  a  vine  on  its  way  and  glanced  aside,  so  that,  instead  of  hit- 
ting the  beast  between  the  eyes,  I  only  wounded  him  in  the  body. 

It  was  a  huge  bull,  and,  turning  fiercely,  he  came  for  me  with- 
out stopping  to  think.  I  had  but  a  moment  to  consider,  and  pru- 
dently determined  to  run,  for,  though  I  had  my  second  barrel  in 
reserve,  the  crash  of  the  infuriated  bull  was  too  powerful.  As  I 
turned  to  make  my  escape,  I  found  my  foot  hopelessly  caught  in 
a  t^tgh.  vine.  I  was  a  prisoner,  and  the  bull  dashing  toward  me, 
head  down  and  eyes  aflame,  tearing  asunder  the  vines  which  bar- 
red his  progress  as  though  they  had  been  threads.  I  bad  been 
nervous  a  moment  before ;  but  now,  turning  to  meet  the  enemy, 
felt  at  once  my  nerves  firm  as  a  rock,  and  my  whole  system  braced 
for  the  emergency. 

All  depended  on  one  shot,  for,  entangled  as  I  was,  if  I  missed 
the  bull  would  not.  I  waited  a  second  more  till  he  was  within 
five  yards  of  me,  and  then  fired  at  his  head.  He  gave  one  loud, 
hoarse  bellow,  and  then  (thank  God!)  tumbled  at  my  feet,  almost 
touching  me,  a  mass  of  dead  flesh. 

The  hunt  after  wild  boar  was  my  daily  amusement,  and  by  its 
means  I  supplied  the  whole  camp  with  meat ;  but  the  finest  ex- 
perience of  this  trip  I  must  now  relate.  Arming  myself  one,  even- 
ing and  blacking  my  face  with  charcoal,  as  was  my  fashion  in  all 
my  hunts — nothing  seems  to  catch  the  eye  of  a  wild  beast  of  this 
country  so  quickly  as  a  white  face — I  went  out  of  sound  of  the 
encampment,  and  in  what  I  knew  to  be  a  walk  of  the  buffalo,  and 
lay  down  under  the  shelter  of  a  huge  ant-hill  to  watch  for  game.  It 
was  a  starlight  night,  but  in  the  forest  there  was  a  sombre  light,  in 
which  such  a  spectacle  as  I  wished  for  would  have  shown  to  advan- 
tage. Here  I  lay  for  one  hour,  two  hours,  three  hours,  and  heard 
no  sound  but  the  indistinguishable  medley  which  so  eloquently 
tells  of  the  night-life  of  the  woods.  Once  in  a  while  the  cracking 
of  a  twig  and  a  grunt  told  of  some  perambulating  pig ;  and  once  a 
whole  herd  of  deer  filed  past  me  in  fine  array,  never  knowing  my 
presence,  as  I  was  luckily  to  windward  of  them.  At  last,  I  am 
ashamed  to  say,  I  fell  asleep.  How  long  I  dozed  I  do  not  know, 
but  was  awakened  with  a  start  by  an  unearthly  roar — a  yell — as 
of  some  animal  in  extreme  terror  and  agony. 

I  started  up,  looked  hurriedly  about  the  narrow  space  which 
was  open  around  me,  but  saw  nothing.    The  woods  were  yet  re- 


THE  LEOPAED  ANT>  HIS  PREY. 


161 


sounding  with  the  cry  which  had  so  startled  me.  And  now  a 
dull  booming  roar  succeeded,  and  I  could  guess  that  beyond  my 
sight,  out  in  some  other  open  space,  some  fortunate  leopard  had 
gained  a  meal.  Determined  to  see  the  fight  if  possible,  I  made 
toward  the  sounds,  and,  emerging  from  a  piece  of  wood,  saw  scud- 
ding across  the  plain,  and  at  but  little  distance  from  me,  a  wild 
bull,  on  whose  neck  was  crouched  what  I  instantly  knew,  from 
the  natives'  description,  to  be  a  leopard.  Vainly  the  poor  beast 
reared,  tossed,  ran,  stopped,  roared,  and  yelled.  In  its  blind  ter- 
ror it  at  last  even  rushed  against  a  tree,  and  nearly  tumbled  over 
with  the  recoil.  But  once  more  anguish  lent  it  strength,  and  it 
set  out  on  another  race.  I  took  as  good  aim  at  the  leopard's  fig- 
ure as  I  could  and  fired,  but  with  no  effect  that  I  could  discover. 
The  exciting  spectacle  lasted  but  a  minute ;  then  the  bull  was 
lost  to  my  sight,  and  presently  his  roars  ceased.  Probably  the 
leopard  had  sucked  away  his  life,  and  was  now  feasting  on  his 
prey. 

We  staid  a  week.  In  that  time  the  party  collected  five  hund- 
red pounds  of  India-rubber,  and  then  returned  with  cheery  songs 
to  the  village,  each  one  expecting  to  make  great  bargains  with  the 
Mpongwe  traders,  or  with  white  men. 

To  return,  now,  to  my  regular  route,  from  which  this  has  been 
a  very  long  digression. 

The  country  about  the  Ikoi  Creek  seems  to  be  a  great  bird 
country.  During  my  stay  at  Mr.  Best'<|  I  killed  a  great  many 
beautiful  birds,  some  rare,  and  two  of  hitherto  unknown  varieties. 
One  was  a  variety  of  the  partridge,  the  Francolin  squamatus,  a 
gray  bird,  whose  loud  call  was  heard  in  the  forests  every  evening 
calling  its  mate.  They  sleep  side  by  side  on  a  particular  branch 
of  some  tree  where  they  have  their  home,  and  one  does  not  cease 
to  call  until  the  other  arrives  at  this  rendezvous.  The  other — 
a  very  curious  bird — has  been  since  named  the  Barbatula  du 
Chaillu.  It  is  a  really  beautiful  animal;  throat  and  breast  a 
glossy  blue-black ;  head  scarlet ;  a  line  of  canary -yellow  running 
from  above  the  eyes  along  the  neck ;  and  the  back,  which  is 
black,  covered  with  canary-yellow  spots.  This  singular  little 
bird  makes  its  nest  with  great  pains  and  long  toils  with  wood  of 
dead  trees.  The  male  and  female  settle  upon  a  tree  which  seems 
to  have  been  dead  a  sufficient  time  to  soften  the  wood  a  little, 
and  then  going  to  work  with  their  bills,  peck  out  a  circular  open- 

.  L 


162 


SINGULAR  BIRDS'  NEST. 


ing  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  perhaps  two  inches  deep.  This 
done,  they  dig  perpendicularly  down  for  about  four  inches.  The 
cavity  thus  made  is  their  nest.  Of  course,  as  they  are  small  birds, 
it  takes  them  a  long  time  to  perform  this  piece  of  carpentering — 
often  two  or  three  weeks.  Then  it  is  lined  softly,  and  the  female 
lays  her  eggs  and  hatches  them  in  security. 

From  the  Ikoi  Creek  I  returned  without  incident  or  adventure 
to  the  Gaboon. 


PLANTATION  LIFE. 


163 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Creek  Navigation. — Nocturnal  Habits  of  the  Negroes. — A  royal  Farm. — Beach- 
travel. — Canoe-building. — Ogoula-Limbai. — A  great  Elephant-hunter. — In  the 
Surf. — Shark  Eiver. — Prairies. — Sangatanga. — King  Bango. — An  Audience  of 
Eoyalty. — A  Ball. — Barracoons. — Unwelcome  Guest. — A  Slaver  in  the  Offing. — 
Decline  of  the  Slave-trade  on  this  Coast. — Idols. 

My  stay  in  Gaboon  was  only  long  enough  to  enable  me  to  se- 
cure my  specimens  and  send  them  on,  and  to  prepare  myself  for 
a  trip  to  Cape  Lopez.  I  was  anxious  to  see  for  myself  the  barra- 
coons of  the  slave-traders,  as  well  as  to  bunt  the  wild  buffalo, 
which  is  found  in  great  numbers  on  the  prairies  of  that  part  of 
the  interior. 

When  all  was  ready,  I  placed  all  my  goods,  and  guns,  and 
ammunition  in  one  of  the  immense  canoes  which  the  IVTpongwe 
make,  and  we  started  for  Mbata  Creek,  on  which  lay  the  planta- 
tion of  my  old  friend  King  Eompochombo,  or  Eoi  Dennis,  as  the 
French  call  him. 

We  entered  the  Mbata  Creek  at  four  P.M.,  and  paddled  up  and 
up,  the  stream  growing  narrower  all  the  time,  and  more  overhung 
with  trees,  till  about  midnight  the  men  had  to  pull  the  canoe 
through  the  brushwood,  which  made  more  swamp  than  creek. 
This  brought  us  pretty  soon  to  where  there  was  no  more  creek, 
and  then  we  found  ourselves  on  the  royal  plantation. 

My  baggage  was  immediately  taken  to  the  king's  first  wife's 
house.  Though  so  late,  or  rather  now  getting  early,  the  people 
were  not  asleep.  It  is  a  singular  habit  the  Africans  have,  and 
very  like  the  highest  class  of  society  in  our  own  cities — they  do 
not  sleep  at  night,  but  lie  about  their  fires  and  smoke  and  tell 
stories,  dozing  off  all  day  afterward.  I  was  not  surprised,  there- 
fore, to  find  the  Princess  Akerai  lying,  with  three  or  four  other 
women,  near  a  huge  fire  (the  thermometer  was  at  85°)  smoking 
her  pipe,  and  saying  she  was  glad  to  see  me. 

However,  all  was  busy  in  an  instant.  The  princess  hurried  off 
to  cook  me  some  plantains  and  fish  which  her  slaves  were  pre- 
paring, and  which  I  greatly  enjoyed,  for  our  day's  journey  had 


164 


THE  KING'S  FARM. 


made  me  hungry.  A  fire  was  built  in  the  centre  of  the  floor  of 
the  house  which  I  was  to  occupy,  and  around  this  several  of  the 
king's  wives  assembled,  while  the  queen  busied  herself  in  prepar- 
ing a  corner  for  my  sleeping  accommodations.  For  bed  I  had  a 
mat — simple  enough,  but  not  so  hard  for  the  bones  as  the  bamboo 
couch  I  had  enjoyed  at  Mbene's;  and  there  was  added  to  my 
mat,  in  this  case,  the  unusual  luxury  of  a  musquito  netting,  by 
help  of  which  I  was  able  to  enjoy  a  good  sleep. 

The  negroes  are  very  hospitable  and  kind,  but  generally  very 
poor  and  dirty.  However,  it  does  not  seem  dirt  to  them ;  and  as 
for  their  poor  half-starved  lives,  they  enjoy  them  as  though  no 
misery  was  in  the  world ;  till  death  or  great  distress  comes,  and 
then  their  sorrow  is  something  terrible — literally  a  sorrow  with- 
out hope. 

King  Rompochombo's  people  are  among  the  most  thriving  of 
the  Mpongwe.  The  plantations  where  I  now  was  belong  to  them, 
and  are  the  most  flourishing  I  saw  any  where  on  the  coast.  The 
village,  which  lies  at  the  head  of  the  Mbata  Creek,  is  surrounded 
by  a  fertile  prairie,  which  was  now  in  full  cultivation.  The  people 
have  a  great  many  slaves,  and  the  women  seem  really  to  have  a 
taste  or  liking  for  agricultural  operations — perhaps  because  in  their 
Gaboon  villages  they  have  before  them  only  Sandy  Point,  a  long 
sandy  flat,  where  nothing  will  grow.  Here  I  saw  on  every  hand, 
and  for  several  miles  in  all  directions,  fields  of  ground-nuts,  plant- 
ains, corn,  sugar-cane,  ginger,  yams,  manioc,  squash  (a  great  favor- 
ite with  all  the  negroes) ;  while  near  their  little  huts  were  growing 
the  paw-tree,  the  lime,  the  wild  orange,  together  with  abundance 
of  plantains  and  pine-apples.  The  life  of  peaceful  industry  they 
led  here  really  gave  me  a  high  opinion  of  this  little  nation,  who 
have  greater  persistence  in  this  direction  than  an}-  of  their  fellows 
I  have  seen.  They  seemed  even  to  care  for  animals,  for  every 
where  I  saw  goats,  and  the  diminutive  African  chickens. 

The  king  was  at  his  town  on  the  coast,  but  had  given  orders 
to  have  me  forwarded  on  to  Cape  Lopez,  Sangatanga,  the  chief 
town  of  the  Cape,  being  about  sixty  miles  from  Mbata.  The  king 
gives  himself  no  trouble  about  this  beautiful  plantation,  and  visits 
it  only  during  the  dry  season.  Indeed,  I  suspect  that  he  has  lit- 
tle authority  there,  the  queen  ruling  supreme,  managing  every 
thing,  and  ordering  the  labor  of  the  slaves  and  the  succession  of 
the  agricultural  operations.    Occasionally  she  sets  her  own  hand 


MPONGWE  AGRICULTURE. 


165 


to  the  planting,  which  is  the  labor  of  the  women,  the  men  cutting 
down  and  burning  the  bushes,  which  spring  up  with  such  terrible 
rapidity  wherever  the  African  soil  is  left  for  a  season  untouched. 

As  I  intended  to  spend  some  months  in  the  Cape  Lopez  coun- 
try, I  had  brought  from  Gaboon  a  very  inconvenient  quantity  of 
luggage,  which  was  to  be  transported  overland  to  Sangatanga 
from  here,  Mbata  being  the  head  of  navigation  in  this  direction. 
To  carry  my  three  heavy  chests  of  trade-goods,  200  pounds  of 
coarse  powder,  half  a  hundred- weight  of  tobacco,  50  pounds  of 
shot,  three  double-barreled  guns,  together  with  hams,  boxes  of 
crackers,  bottles  of  wine,  brandy,  and  oil,  woolen  blankets  for 
camping,  and  camp  cooking  utensils-  (I  never  dared  to  eat  food 
cooked  in  the  native  pots,  from  a  fear  of  what  was  in  them  before) 
— to  carry  all  this  required  some  thirty  men.  These  I  asked  the 
queen  for  next  morning,  saying  that  I  would  give  each  man  five 
fathoms  of  cotton  cloth,  some  beads,  and  tobacco.  She  made  no 
difficulty,  but,  of  course,  several  days  were  required  to  get  every 
thing  ready  for  a  start. 

Finally  all  was  prepared,  and  we  started.  Our  way  led  us  for 
ten  or  twelve  miles  of  fine  prairie,  interspersed  with  occasional 
hills,  and  making  altogether  a  beautiful  country  for  agriculture. 
South  of  the  Gaboon  the  country  changes  very  much,  and  is  gen- 
erally less  rough,  and  better  adapted  to  the  growing  of  yams 
and  other  farm  products  than  any  I  saw  to  the  north.  Here,  as 
we  traveled  along,  we  came  occasionally  upon  the  bamboo  huts 
of  slaves  who  lived  here,  far  away  from  their  Mpongwe  masters 
on  the  coast,  and  tilled  the  soil  on  their  own  account,  sending  a 
tribute  of  its  products  down  to  the  sea-side  whenever  canoes  came 
up  the  Mbata  for  it.  They  seemed  quite  happy,  as  they  were 
certainly  independent,  for  slaves.  The  old  men  and  women  lay 
lazily  in  front  of  their  little  huts  smoking ;  and  on  every  hand 
were  smiling  fields  of  plantains,  manioc,  peanuts,  and  yams. 

Toward  twelve  o'clock  we  approached  the  sea,  and  could  hear 
the  distant  boom  of  the  surf.  Presently  the  sky,  before  clear,  be- 
came overcast,  and  before  long  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  wild 
storm — almost  a  tornado.  It  thundered  and  lightened  violently, 
and  rained  as  it  rains  only  in  Africa.  We  rushed  for  a  little 
hut  we  saw  before  us,  and  were  kindly  received  by  an  old  negro 
and  his  wife,  who  lived  there.  In  about  an  hour  all  was  over, 
and  the  sky  was  again  clear.    These  storms  are  frequent  here  in 


166 


ALONG  TIIE  SnORE. 


the  season,  and  sometimes  do  much  damage,  tearing  down  trees, 
and  overwhelming  the  plantations  in  ruin. 

Half  an  hour's  walk  brought  us  to  the  beach,  along  which  we 
now  had  to  walk.  The  soft  sand  made  our  travel  exhausting ;  I 
was  forced  to  take  off  my  shoes,  as  I  sank  down  above  my  ankles 
at  every  step.  This  lasted  the  whole  day,  and  I  was  glad  when 
night  came  and  we  stopped.  My  men  bore  it  better  than  I, 
though  they  had  heavy  loads  to  carry.  Though  our  walking  was 
bad,  the  scenery  was  often  very  fine.  On  one  side  was  the  roll- 
ing sea,  and  on  the  other  the  dark -green  forests,  coming  down  in 
seemingly  impenetrable  masses  nearly  to  the  shore.  Every  mile 
or  so  a  creek  cut  its  way  through  this  mass  of  green,  and  wound 
its  devious  course  into  the  interior,  having  a  curious  appearance 
— canal-like — from  the  way  in  which  the  vegetation  began  on 
the  very  banks,  in  the  same  solid  masses  which  presented  their 
fronts  seaward.  It  was  a  real  solitude,  the  roar  of  the  sea  break- 
ing the  grim  silence  of  the  forest  only  to  make  that  more  im- 
pressive. From  time  to  time  we  recognized  the  lonesome  cry  of 
the  chimpanzee,  who  is  the  chief  inhabitant  of  these  wilds. 

Just  at  sunset  we  came  upon  a  beautiful  little  prairie  or  natural 
clearing  set  right  into  the  middle  of  the  woods,  and  received  an 
unexpected  welcome  from  the  owner  of  some  huts  we  saw  in  front 
of  us.  He  proved  to  be  a  Mpongwe  named  Mbouma,  whom  I 
had  known  at  Gaboon.  He  had  come  hither  to  spend  the  dry 
season  in  making  canoes,  the  trees  surrounding  his  little  clearing 
being  of  unusual  size.  He  had  chosen  for  the  scene  of  his  labors 
one  of  the  prettiest  spots  I  ever  saw  in  Africa.  The  little  prairie 
was  a  mile  long  by  perhaps  one  third  of  a  mile  wide,  perfectly 
clean,  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass,  which,  when 
the  sun  lay  on  it  next  morning,  shone  with  a  golden  glory.  The 
very,  beasts  of  the  forest  seemed  to  rejoice  in  its  prettiness;  mon- 
keys leaped  nimbly  along  the  trees  on  its  skirts,  and  the  song  of 
the  birds  in  the  morning  gave  a  charm  to  the  whole  scene  which 
few  of  the  African  wilds  can  boast. 

Mbouma  had  moved  hither  temporarily,  but  with  his  whole 
family,  wives,  children,  and  slaves.  They  had  built  temporary 
shelters,  rude  but  sufficient  leaf-roofed  huts,  and  lived  in  a  kind  of 
extended  picnic.  He  showed  me  some  immense  trees  he  had  cut 
down,  and  which  were  intended  for  canoes.  Several  of  these  ves- 
sels were  already  completed  and  ready  to  launch.  A  Mpongwe  ca- 


A  MPONGWE  BOAT-BUILDER.  167 

• 

noe  is  sometimes  of  very  considerable  size.  Mbouma  had  one  fin- 
ished, which  was  60  feet  long,  3£  feet  wide,  and  3  feet  deep.  The 
process  of  canoe-building  is  very  simple.  The  tree  is  felled,  cutf 
to  the  requisite  length,  divested  of  limbs,  if  any  are  in  the  way, 
and  then  fire  is  applied  to  bum  out  the  inside.  This  fire  is  care- 
fully watched  and  guided  till  all  the  inside  is  eaten  away.  Then 
the  mpano,  the  native  adze,  is  used  to  trim  all  off  neatly,  and  to 
give  shape  to  the  outside.  They  know  very  well  how  to  do  this ; 
and  their  larger  canoes  are  very  stout  and  reliable  craft,  in  which 
considerable  coasting  voyages  are  sometimes  made.  Unfortu- 
nately the  making  of  the  canoe  is  mostly  the  least  part  of  the 
work.  The  canoe-tree  (for  only  one  kind  of  tree  is  used  for  this 
purpose)  grows  almost  invariably  some  miles  away  from  the  wa- 
ter, and  the  unlucky  boat-builder's  greatest  undertaking  is  the 
launch.  Often  they  have  to  transport  a  sixty-foot  canoe  eight  or 
ten  miles  overland  to  the  nearest  creek  or  river.  In  this  case 
they  cut  a  path  through  the  woods,  and  on  this  lay  rollers  at  two 
feet  apart,  on  which,  with  much  trouble,  the  little  vessel  is  push- 
ed along. 

Mbouma  was  very  fortunate  in  his  choice  of  locality.  His  far- 
thest canoe  was  but  two  miles  from  the  sea-shore,  and  he  thought 
his  labor  easy  enough.  But  he  was  forced  to  send  all  his  canoes 
by  sea  to  the  Gaboon. 

Little  prairies  like  this  of  Mbouma's  occurred  constantly  be- 
tween this  and  Sangatanga,  and  gave  me  a  good  opinion  of  the 
value  of  this  country  for  purposes  of  civilized  life.  They  were 
great  reliefs  to  the  dreary  journey. 

We  continued  to  skirt  the  sea-shore,  our  aim  being  to  gain  a 
Shekiani  village  where  we  purposed  to  stop  the  night.  In  the 
forenoon  I  shot  a  beautiful  black  and  white  fishing-eagle  (the 
Gypohierax  angolensis),  which  sat  at  the  very  top  of  a  huge  cotton- 
wood-tree  looking  gravely  down  into  the  blue  sea  below,  medi- 
tating its  finny  prey. 

At  three  o'clock  we  reached  a  village  where  the  chief,  Ogoula- 
Limbai  by  name,  turned  out  to  meet  us  at  the  head  of  his  whole 
nation,  which  consisted  of  thirty  men,  sixty  or  seventy  women, 
and  a  prodigious  number  of  children.  I  was  welcomed  and  con- 
ducted to  a  house — a  real  house — the  most  convenient  and  sub- 
stantial I  had  met  among  the  wild  negroes.  It  was  high,  had  a 
plank  floor,  and  was  really  wonderful  for  a  savage  chief's  abode. 


168  OGOULA-LIMBAI. 

It  had  several  rooms  partitioned  off  with  plank;  and  when  I  had 
rested  and  talked  a  while  I  was  asked  into  another  room,  where  a 
new  surprise  awaited  me.  The  walls  of  this  room  were  covered 
with  wall-paper,  and  all  around  were  hung  little  pictures  of  saints. 
A  table  was  covered  with  a  real  cotton  cloth,  on  which  was  my 
dinner,  which  I  was  now  asked  to  eat.  The  piece  de  resistance 
was  a  splendid  roast  of  boar  meat,  juicy  and  fragrant.  The  wild 
boar  is  very  plenty  hereabouts,  and  makes  a  very  fine  roast. 

I  ate  unquestioning,  determined  to  satisfy  my  body  before  I  at- 
tempted to  satisfy  my  mind  about  this  mystery  of  civilization  in 
a  rude  African  village  far  from  white  settlements. 

Finally  Ogoula-Limbai  explained  all.  A  Portuguese  carpen- 
ter, left  sick  by  some  passing  slaver,  had  lived  with  him  for  a 
while  and  built  him  this  astonishing  house ;  and  I  suppose  of  the 
Portuguese,  too,  my  black  friend  must  have  learned  the  table  ar- 
rangements and  the  art  displayed  in  cooking  that  delicious  boar 
roast.  I  suppose  Ogoula-Limbai  may  probably  have  been  once 
concerned  in  the  slave-trade ;  and,  though  he  did  not  mention  it, 
this  would  account  for  several  evidences  of  civilization  I  saw 
about  me.  However,  whatever  he  had  done,  he  does  not  dare 
now  to  set  up  a  slave-factory,  although,  doubtless,  his  heart  longs 
to  do  so.  He  is  a  vassal  of  the  king  of  Cape  Lopez,  who  claims  a 
monopoly  of  that  business,  and  would  soon  drive  him  off  were  he 
to  attempt  to  set  up  on  his  own  hook.  Ogoula  is  the  only  Sheki- 
ani  chief  who  has  been  permitted  to  settle  directly  on  the  sea- 
shore between  Gaboon  and  Cape  Lopez  —  the  king  of  the  latter 
place  suffering  no  such  attempt,  which  he  fears  may  interfere  with 
his  present  sole  possession  of  a  most  lucrative  trade.  None  of 
these  Shekiani  fellows  dare  trade  directly  with  the  white  men. 
They  must  all  submit  to  the  extortions  of  their  neighbors  who 
are  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  the  sea-shore ;  and  if  Ogoula  were  to 
attempt  direct  trade — though  he  has  the  finest  chances — his  town 
would  be  burned  down  in  a  week. 

Ogoula  has  the  reputation  of  being  the  greatest  hunter  of  ele- 
phants in  all  the  country  about  here.  As  he  could  speak  Mpon- 
gwe,  he  told  me  some  of  his  adventures,  which  proved  indeed  that 
he  was  a  daring  and  expert  fellow.  Going  out  to  the  hunt  one 
day  he  met  two  elephants.  Being  alone,  he  had  carried  but  one 
gun,  and  would  have  retreated  and  watched  for  a  safer  chance ; 
but  the  great  beasts  saw  him  and  did  not  give  him  opportunity. 


■ 


A  DAEING  ELEPHANT  -  HUNTER. 


169 


He  was  obliged  to  make  a  stand,  and,  taking  good  aim,  killed  one 
elephant.  Unfortunately  it  was  the  female,  and  the  male,  seeing 
its  partner  fall,  immediately  rushed  at  him.  He  turned  to  retreat, 
and  caught  his  foot  in  a  trailing  vine.  The  more  he  struggled 
the  less  he  got  loose,  and  meantime  his  pursuer  was  tearing  down 
every  thiug  in  its  way,  and  was  almost  on  top  of  him  when  he  got 
his  foot  loose,  and  in  desperation  swung  himself  into  a  young  sap- 
ling which  stood  at  hand.  'Scarce  had  he  done  this  when  the  ele- 
phant,  trumpeting  with  rage,  was  beneath  him.  He  seized  the 
sapling  with  his  trunk,  and  swayed  it  violently  back  and  forth, 
determined  to  pull  it  down.  But  as  it  swung  on  one  side,  Ogou- 
la,  nimble  through  desperation,  was  able  to  catch  at  another  which 
stood  near,  and  when  the  elephant  seized  this  he  gave  himself  a 
great  swing  and  caught  the  outstretched  branch  of  a  huge  full- 
grown  tree,  climbing  to  a  safe  height  in  which  he  could  afford  to 
laugh  at  the  vain  rage  of  his  enem$". 

The  negroes  are  not  generally  good  marksmen,  but  they  have 
great  nimbleness  and  considerable  presence  of  mind,  and  often 
escape  in  situations  where  a  white  man  would  most  likely  be 
killed. 

As  my  men  were  very  much  exhausted  with  the  weight  of  my 
baggage,  I  asked  Ogoula  to  let  me  have  a  canoe,  which  he  did. 
The  road  to  Sangatanga  by  sea  was  a  little  farther,  but  a  good 
deal  easier  than  along  the  yielding  sand  of  the  sea-shore ;  so  the 
luggage  was  to  be  put  in  the  canoe,  and  I  and  part  of  the  people 
to  go  with  it. 

I  slept  on  a  sofa-bed — another  relic  of  the  Portuguese — with 
a  negro  boy  to  fan  me,  and  a  torch  by  whose  smoke  it  was  hoped 
the  musquitoes  would  be  driven  off.  As  the  natives  here,  includ- 
ing Ogoula  himself,  are  great  thieves,  my  things  were  placed  in  a 
room  near  mine,  where  my  men  slept. 

About  one  o'clock  I  woke  up,  roused  up  the  men,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  sea-shore.  Here  we  found  ourselves  in  a  position 
so  usual,  and  so  characteristic  of  the  negroes'  dealings,  that  I  will 
describe  it.  I  had  bargained  for  a  canoe  and  paid  for  it,  expect- 
ing, of  course,  to  have  it  in  such  condition  that  we  could  use  it. 

Now  we  could  find  no  paddles.  I  went  to  Ogoula,  who  said 
they  must  have  been  stolen,  but  offered  a  new  set  for  two  fath- 
oms of  cloth  and  two  bottles  of  rum. 

I  refused,  point  blank,  to  be  cheated. 


170 


A  PALAVER  AND  A  DUCKING. 


Ogoula  frowned — looked  blacker  than  usual,  in  fact,  and  de- 
clined to  help  us. 

There  was  much  "palaver,"  and  finally  one  of  my  men  gave 
his  own  cloth  and  got  the  paddles.  I  was  very  angry,  but  could 
do  nothing;  and  happily  Ogoula  was  just  in  the  same  state.  He 
thought  himself  ill  used  that  I  had  given  him  no  rum  (which  I 
never  carried  for  the  natives),  but  could  do  nothing — but  cheat. 
Had  I  not  been  escorted  by  Rompochombo's  men,  no  doubt  I 
would  have  had  trouble — probably  been  robbed. 

We  now  put  our  things  aboard,  got  in,  and  put  off.  The  surf 
was  high,  the  boat  deep  laden,  and,  unluckily,  we  got  caught  in  a 
mountain  of  a  breaker,  which  turned  us  over  in  an  instant  but  a 
few  yards  from  the  shore,  and  sent  us  all  into  the  water,  which, 
fortunately  for  me,  was  not  deep. 

Here  was  another  mess.  "We  got  ashore  again,  kindled  an  im- 
mense fire,  and  then  my  men'  who  were,  as  all  the  coast  negroes 
are,  good  divers,  set  out,  and  in  an  amazingly  short  time  fished  up 
every  thing  we  had  lost  but  one  or  two  small  packages.  I  was 
very  glad  to  find  my  guns  again,  for  without  them  I  should  have 
been  in  a  bad  box.  The  powder,  fortunately,  had  been  so  care- 
fully packed  that  it  was  not  injured;  and,  as  for  the  rest,  I  came 
off  very  nicely. 

Last  of  all  the  paddles  were  hunted  up.  They  had  been  wash- 
ed ashore  a  long  distance  off.  Then  we  lay  down  by  the  fire  till 
dawn  and  dried  ourselves,  and,  when  day  broke,  I  had  all  the 
things  again  put  into  the  boat,  and  sent  the  men  off  to  make  their 
way  around,  determining  myself  to  walk  overland. 

While  we  lay  about  the  fire  I  kept  a  good  look-out  for  my 
friend  Ogoula,  and  was  rewarded  by  seeing  his  rascally  face  peer- 
in°-  at  us  through  the  darkness.  He  came  down  when  he  saw 
himself  discovered,  and  expressed  himself  very  sorry ;  but  I  felt 
certain  that  if  we  had  been  in  confusion  I  should  have  been 
plundered.  These  negroes  seem  to  be  unable  to  keep  their 
hands  off  property  that  has  been  cast  ashore  by  the  sea,  no  mat- 
ter how  slight  the  accident. 

I  set  out  with  one  party  to  carry  my  gun  and  show  me  the  way. 
Toward  noon  we  came  to  a  village,  where,  fortunately,  we  got 
something  to  eat,  for  I  was  very  hungry.  In  the  afternoon  we 
came  to  the  Shark  River ;  rightly  named,  for  its  mouth  was  actu- 
ally alive  with  huge  sharks,  who  swam  about  our  frail  canoe  as 


SHARKS.— SANGATANGA. 


171 


we  crossed  in  such  an  outrageously  familiar  manner  that  I  was 
rather  glad  to  get  safely  across. 

The  negroes  boast  that  they  can  swim  the  river  without  dan- 
ger if  only  they  have  nothing  red  about  them  ;  and,  in  fact,  all 
my  men  swam  across  without  accident,  first  carefully  concealing 
those  parts  of  their  scanty  dress  which  might  have  the  obnoxious 
color.  They  also  offered  to  take  me  over  on  their  backs ;  but  this 
I  refused,  from  a  fear  that  the  sharks  might  make  an  exception  in 
my  case  to  their  general  rule.  These  fish  are  here  held  sacred — 
which  may  have  something  to  do  with  their  harmlessness.  The  na- 
tives believe  that  if  they  shoidd  kill  one  there  would  be  no  safety 
from  their  attacks  thereafter.  It  is  certainly  very  singular  that 
they  should  not  attack  men  in  the  water,  for  on  any  other  of  the 
numerous  points  on  the  coast  where  they  abound  a  man  would 
be  instantly  killed  did  he  venture  among  them. 

I  did  not  reach  Sangatanga  till  a  little  before  dark,  having  trav- 
eled sixteen  hours,  counting  an  hour's  rest  on  the  way,  and  I  never 
was  so  tired  and  footsore  in  my  life.  The  people  were  greatly 
surprised  at  the  feat — no  inconsiderable  one  Under  an  African 
sun  and  over  beach-sand,  for  the  distance  is  quite  forty  miles. 

The  prairies  grow  larger  and  more  important  as  the  traveler 
approaches  Sangatanga,  and  in  the  interior  they  form  a  still  larger 
portion  of  the  country.  The  change  is  very  curious  and  very  de- 
cided ;  as  north  of  the  Gaboon  such  a  thing  as  a  clear  patch  is  al- 
most unknown ;  all  being  vast,  dense,  hardly  penetrable  forest. 
All  the  interior,  from  Gaboon  to  Sangatanga  and  Nazareth  River, 
is  hilly,  rolling  land,  and  contains  immense  prairie  tracts,  where 
the  buffalo  has  his  home  and  pasture.  Each  clearing  is  lined 
with  dense  evergreen  forests,  where  the  buffalo  spends  his  days, 
grazing  only  by  night;  and  these  forests  shelter  the  elephant,  leop- 
ard, and  all  the  varied  fauna  of  these  woods,  which  abound  great- 
ly more  in  game  than  the  country  north  of  the  Gaboon. 

The  hills  above  Sangatanga  assume  very  fantastic  shapes,  and 
are  many  of  them  quite  steep.  Along  their  sides,  where  they  are 
bare,  they  are  covered  with  thousands  of  the  curious  hills  of  the 
white  ants  which  abound  hereabouts.  These  hills  or  nests  are 
about  two  feet  high,  and,  being  formed  like  flat-topped  toad-stools, 
such  as  are  common  in  our  meadows  after  a  rain,  look  in  reality 
like  a  vast  assemblage  of  gigantic  mushrooms. 

My  men  found  me  shelter  for  the  night,  and  I  saw  nothing  of 
the  town  or  its  people  till  next  morning. 


172 


CAPE  LOPEZ. 


Sangatanga  is  set  upon  a  tolerably  high  hill  fronting  the  sea- 
shore, between  which  and  the  town,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles, 
stretches  a  lovely  prairie,  about  which  are  scattered  numerous  lit- 
tle villages.  The  view  is  charming,  for,  turning  the  eye  upward 
from  the  landscape  which  lies  at  one's  feet,  the  beholder  sees  be- 
fore him  the  boundless  stretch  of  the  ocean,  whose  billows  seem 
pouring  in  to  overwhelm  the  shore.  I  never  tired  of  this  fine 
landscape,  which  was  doubly  refreshing  after  my  long  and  tedious 
journeys  in  the  unpicturesque  regions  north  of  the  Gaboon, 
where  the  coast-line  almost  every  where  is  a  deadly  swamp,  and 
the  interior  an  almost  lifeless  wilderness. 

At  the  top  of  the  hill  on  which  I  stood  was  the  royal  residence, 
where  dwelt  the  king  of  the  Oroungou  tribe — called  the  Cape  Lo- 
pez people  by  the  whites.  He  is  a  powerful  chief,  and  his  tribe — 
over  whom  he  rules  almost  as  a  despot,  by  his  personal  influence 
— are  a  thriving  and  influential  people. 

Cape  Lopez  proper  is  in  lat.  0°  36'  10"  S.  and  long.  8°  40'  E. 
from  Greenwich.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  Portuguese,  who 
formerly  called  it  Cape  Lope  Gonsalvez.  It  is  chiefly  a  long 
sandy  point  projecting  into  the  sea,  on  which  it  gains  somewhat 
every  year.  This  point  protects  the  bay,  which  is  quite  large 
and  full  of  shallows  and  banks,  so  that  vessels  are  obliged  to  an- 
chor far  from  the  shore.  The  cape  looks  from  the  sea  something 
like  overflowed  land.  The  point  is  so  low  that  the  bushes  and 
trees  growing  on  it  seem  from  a  distance  seaward  to  be  set  in  the 
water. 

The  bay  is  about  fourteen  miles  deep,  and  several  small  rivers 
empty  their  waters  into  it  at  or  near  its  base.  The  ^Nazareth,  a 
more  considerable  stream,  also  has  its  mouths  here,  as  well  as  the 
Fetich  Eiver,  one  of  its  branches — which  takes  its  name  from  Fe- 
tich Point,  a  remarkable  locality  at  its  mouth.  The  bay  has  fre- 
quent banks  and  shallows ;  but  the  water  is  very  deep  near  the 
cape  itself,  and  vessels  of  large  size  may  sail  in,  almost  or  quite 
touching  the  land,  without  danger.  There  is  no  surf  in  the  bay ; 
but  outside  the  cape,  along  the  shore  to  the  south,  it  beats  in  so 
heavily  that  in  many  places  even  the  most  experienced  boatmen 
can  not  land  except  during  a  few  days  of  each  month. 

The  bottom  of  the  bay  is  swampy  and  overgrown  with  man- 
groves, which  come  quite  down  to  the  shores,  in  their  usual 
gloomy  and  impenetrable  masses.    The  water  here  is  brackish, 


KING  BANGO. 


173 


from  the  large  quantity  of  fresh  water  brought  down  by  the  Naz- 
areth and  other  streams.  The  rivers  are  all  lined  for  a  short  dis- 
tance up  with  mangrove  swamps,  and  this  part  of  the  country  has 
a  gloomy,  dirty,  sickly  appearance  —  the  black  waters  rushing 
into  the  sea,  the  long  mangrove  flats  sending  up  noisome  exhala- 
tions, and  filling  the  air  with  a  pungent  and  disagreeable  odor  of 
decaying  vegetation. 

The  bay  abounds  with  all  sorts  of  delicious  fish,  and  the  cape 
itself  is  a  famous  place  for  turtle.  Near  the  right  bank  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Nazareth  there  is  a  little  village  called  Fishtown, 
where  great  quantities  of  fish  are  taken  every  year. 

There  is  a  safe  channel  through  the  shallows  from  the  cape  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Nazareth,  but  otherwise  the  bay  is  not  easily 
navigable. 

The  region  known  generally  as  the  Cape  Lopez  country  in- 
cludes all  the  shores  of  the  bay,  and  the  interior  for  thirty  or  forty 
miles.  It  has  much  fine  land,  and  King  Bango,  if  he  were  not  a 
drunken  vagabond,  might  be  a  prosperous  king.  Back  from  the 
sea-shore  the  land  becomes  higher  and  hilly,  the  mangroves  give 
place  to  forests  of  palm  and  more  useful  woods,  and  fine  prairies 
dot  the  country  quite  thickly.  The  whole  of  this  district  is  given 
to  the  slave-trade.  It  produces  small  quantities  of  ivory,  ebony, 
wax,  etc. ;  but  the  slave-factory  is  the  chief  commercial  establish- 
ment, and  the  buying,  selling,  and  transporting  of  slaves  for  the 
barracoons  at  the  cape  is  the  most  profitable  business. 

About  ten  o'clock  of  the  morning  after  my  arrival  the  king  sent 
his  mafouga  (his  intendant,  major-domo,  herald,  and  secretary  of 
state)  to  the  village  where  I  had  stopped,  to  ascertain  who  was 
the  white  man  who  had  come,  and  what  was  his  business. 

The  Oroungou  language  being  almost  identical  with  the  Mpon- 
gwe,  I  was  able  to  converse  with  the  mafouga,  and  informed  him 
that  I  was  too  tired  to  speak  or  see  any  one,  but  that  next  day  I 
would  see  the  king ;  with  which  he  went  off  satisfied,  expressing 
his  astonishment  that  any  white  man  could  walk  on  foot  the  dis- 
tance I  did  yesterday. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning  I  accordingly  pre- 
pared for  my  visit  to  King  Bango,  or  Passall — the  last  the  name 
given  him  by  the  traders.  His  majesty  lives  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  the  royal  palace  is  surrounded  by  a  little  village  of 
huts,  in  which  reside  the  royal  wives,  of  whom  there  are  really  a 


174 


A  ROYAL  AUDIENCE. 


vast  number  (over  300),  as  the  king  takes  pride  in  keeping  up  the 
largest  harem  to  be  found  on  this  part  of  the  coast. 

As  I  entered  the  village  the  mafouga  met  me,  with  the  king's 
cane  borne  aloft,  and  inquired,  in  an  official  voice,  my  business, 
and  if  I  desired  to  see  the  king. 

I  answered  yes — somewhat  disgusted  at  so  much  ceremony, 
though  the  crowd  of  loyal  subjects  who  had  followed  me  up  were 
hugely  pleased. 

I  was  asked  to  wait  a  while,  and  presently  (the  royal  wives 
having  put  the  finishing  touches  to  their  toilets,  perhaps)  I  was 
admitted  to  the  palace. 

It  was  an  ugly  hole  of  a  house,  set  on  pillars,  and  of  two  sto- 
ries. The  lower  story  consisted  of  a  dark  hall,  flanked  on  each 
side  by  rows  of  small,  dark  rooms,  looking  uncommonly  like  cells. 
At  the  end  of  the  hall  was  a  staircase,  steep  and  dirty,  up  which 
the  mafouga  piloted  me.  "When  I  had  ascended,  I  found  myself 
in  a  large  room,  at  one  end  of  which  was  seated  King  Bango,  sur- 
rounded by  about  a  hundred  of  his  wives,  and  with  his  interpreter 
and  some  of  his  principal  men  standing  near  him. 

The  king — a  middle-sized,  not  over-clean,  dissipated-looking 
negro,  dressed  very  lightly  in  a  shirt  and  a  dilapidated  pair  of 
pantaloons — wore  on  his  head  a  crown  which  had  been  presented 
to  him  by  some  of  his  friends  the  Portuguese  slavers,  and  over 
his  shoulders  a  flaming  yellow  coat  with  gilt  embroidery  all  over 
it — apparently  the  cast-off  coat  of  some  rich  man's  lackey  in  Por- 
tugal or  Brazil.  The  crown  was  shaped  like  those  commonly 
worn  by  actors  on  the  stage,  and  was  probably  worth  when  new 
about  ten  dollars.  But  his  majesty  had  put  around  it  a  new  band 
or  circlet  of  pure  gold,  which  must  have  been  worth  at  least  two 
hundred  dollars.  lie  was  very  proud  of  this  crown.  He  sat  on 
a  sofa,  and  held  in  his  hand  a  cane,  which  officiated  as  sceptre. 

Most  of  his  wives  present  wore  silks.  I  was  presented  to  the 
queen  or  head  wife,  an  old  woman,  and  by  no  means  pretty. 

The  king  remarked  that  the  slave-trade  no  longer  prospered. 
He  complained  of  the  English,  who  were  the  cause  of  this  stagna- 
tion, and  feared  much  that  in  a  few  years  more  he  would  be  left 
without  customers. 

He  next  addressed  me  in  French,  and  told  me  he  had  been  to 
Brazil  and  also  to  Portugal,  having  lived  two  years  in  Lisbon, 
and  knew  how  to  read  Portuguese — a  bit  of  knowledge  which 


A  VISIT  FROM  KING  BANGO. 


175 


must  have  been  handy  in  his  business  affairs.  It  was  easy  to  see 
that  his  foreign  travel  had  done  him  little  good.  To  his  original 
ignorance  he  had  added  only  what  he  thought  European  man- 
ners, and  some  kinds  of  dissipations  perhaps  previously  unknown 
to  him. 

He  told  me  that  the  entire  village  on  the  hill  was  occupied  by 
his  family  and  slaves,  and  that  about  two  hundred  of  his  men 
were  now  in  the  country  on  his  plantation.  To  my  question  of 
how  many  children  he  had,  he  replied  that  he  did  not  know  the 
exact  number,  but  at  least  six  hundred,  which,  from  after  observa 
tion,  I  judge  a  fair  estimate. 

The  next  morning  that  absurd  personage,  the  mafouga,  who 
was  evidently  the  result  of  his  royal  master's  visit  to  Lisbon,  came 
down  to  my  house  to  announce  that  the  king  would  return  my 
visit  in  the  afternoon.  Accordingly,  at  two  o'clock  I  arranged 
my  little  bamboo  house,  and  presently  a  great  beating  of  drums 
announced  that  King  Bango  was  under  weigh.  Soon  a  great  pro- 
cession of  people  appeared,  at  the  head  of  whom  the  king  was 
borne  in  a  hammock.  I  went  out  to  meet  him,  and  found,  to  my 
surprise,  that  he  could  not  move.  I  thought  at  first  that  he  was 
dead  drunk,  but  was  presently  informed  that  his  left  arm  and  leg 
were  paralyzed,  and  thus  half  his  body  was  dead.  His  people 
lifted  him  out  of  his  hammock  and  seated  him  on  a  seat  which  I 
had  prepared,  and  here  six  of  his  wives  surrounded  him  with 
fans.  The  rest  of  his  family  who  were  present  also  crowded 
around,  and  I  soon  perceived  that  all  the  women  were  drunk. 
His  majesty  had  called  at  one  of  the  slave-factories  on  his  way  to 
my  house,  and  there  rum  had  been  served  out  to  the  whole  cor- 
tege. Evidently  the  royal  ladies  had  managed  to  get  more  than 
their  share. 

Bango  was  dressed  as  yesterday,  except  that  he  had  on  a  new 
crown,  which  I  asked  to  see.  He  took  it  off.  I  found  that  it  was 
also  a  tawdry  concern,  but  enriched  with  gold  to  the  value  of  at 
least  a  thousand  dollars.  It  contained  some  poor  imitations  of 
precious  stones,  and  was  evidently  thought  an  object  of  great 
value  and  beauty  by  its  possessor.  After  praising  its  beauty,  I 
returned  it ;  whereupon  his  majesty  tried  to  pick  a  quarrel,  say- 
ing that  neither  Portuguese,  English,  French,  Spaniards,  or  Amer- 
icans had  ever  before  asked  him  to  take  off  his  crown,  and  that 
he  thought  I  intended  to  insult  him.    Of  course  I  said  I  had  a 


176 


A  BALL  AT  THE  PALACE. 


great  desire  to  behold,  near  to,  such,  a  beautiful  object;  -which, 
seemed  to  pacify  him.  He  informed  me  that  this  crown  had 
been  given  him  by  a  celebrated  slave-trader  on  the  coast,  well 
known  under  the  name  of  Don  Jose ;  and  that  it  was  sent  as  a 
special  gift  from  one  of  the  richest  firms  of  Eio  Janeiro,  who  had 
dealt  largely  with  him. 

"While  we  were  talking  one  of  the  women  was  slyly  kicking 
me  on  the  shins  and  winking  at  me,  which  I  sincerely  hoped  the 
king,  her  husband,  would  not  see,  as  I  had  no  desire  to  arouse  his 
jealousy.  When  we  ceased,  all  the  women  began  to  ask  for  rum, 
which  I  refused,  but  gave  them  instead  several  heads  of  tobacco, 
and  then  formally  presented  the  king  with  two  large  pieces  of 
cloth.  This  put  him  in  good  humor,  and  after  some  refreshments 
he  set  out  for  home.  It  was  not  without  great  trouble  that  his  huge 
carcass  was  hoisted  into  the  hammock.  As  he  left  my  men  saluted 
him  with  a  salvo  of  musketry,  which,  too,  flattered  his  vanity. 

The  next  night  a  ball  was  given  by  the  king  in  my  honor. 
The  room  where  I  had  been  first  received  was  the  ball-room. 
When  I  arrived,  shortly  after  dark,  I  found  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  the  king's  wives  assembled,  many  of  whom  were  ac- 
counted the  best  dancers  in  the  country.  Shortly  afterward  sing- 
ing began,  and  then  a  barrel  of  rum  was  rolled  in  and  tapped. 
A  good  glassful  was  given  to  each  of  the  women,  and  then  the 
singing  recommenced.  In  this  the  women  only  took  part,  and 
the  airs  were  doleful  and  discordant.  The  words  I  could  not  al- 
ways catch ;  but  here  is  a  specimen : 

"When  we  are  alive  and  well, 
Let  us  be  merry,  sing,  dance,  and  laugh ; 
For  after  life  comes  death  ; 
Then  the  body  rots,  the  worms  eat  it, 
And  all  is  done  forever." 

When  every  body  was  greatly  excited  with  these  songs,  the  king, 
who  sat  in  a  corner  on  a  sofa  with  some  of  his  favorite  wives  next 
him,  gave  the  signal  for  the  dance  to  begin.  Immediately  all 
rose  up  and  beat  a  kind  of  tune  or  refrain  to  accompany  the  noise 
of  the  tam-tams  or  drums.  Then  six  women  stepped  out  and  be- 
gan to  dance  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  The  dance  is  not  to  be 
described.  Any  one  who  has  seen  a  Spanish  fandango,  and  can 
imagine  its  lascivious  movements  tenfold  exaggerated,  will  have 
some  faint  conceptions  of  the  postures  of  these  black  women. 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE. 


177 


To  attain  the  greatest  possible  indecency  of  attitude  seemed  to  be 
the  ambition  of  all  six.  These  were  relieved  by  another  set  of 
six  in  course  of  time,  and  so  the  ball  went  on  for  about  two  hours, 
when,  what  with  occasional  potations  of  rum  and  the  excitement 
of  the  dance  and  noise,  the  whole  assemblage  got  so  uproarious 
i  hat  I  had  thoughts  of  retreating ;  but  the  king  would  not  suffer 
it.    He  and  all  the  people  seemed  to  enjoy  it  all  exceedingly. 

Next  women  came  out,  one  at  a  time,  and  danced  their  best  (or 
worst)  before  a  closely-critical  audience,  who,  watching  every  mo- 
tion with  jealous  eyes,  were  sure  to  applaud  by  audible  murmurs 
of  pleasure  at  every  more  than  usually  lewd  pas.  At  last  this 
ceased,  and  two  really  pretty  young  girls  came  out  hand  in  hand 
and  danced  before  me.  I  was  told  that  they  were  daughters  of 
the  king,  and  he  desired  that  I  should  take  them  for  my  wives — 
an  offer  which  I  respectfully  but  firmly  declined.  « 

Finally  the  room  began  to  smell  too  high  for  me,  and  as  the 
revelries  were  getting  madder  all  the  time,  I  slipped  out  and  be- 
took myself  to  my  house  to  sleep. 

The  next  day  I  made  a  visit  to  the  barracoons  or  slave-pens. 
(Jape  Lopez  is  a  great  slave  depot — once  one  of  the  largest  on  the 
whole  coast — and  I  had,  of  course,  much  curiosity  to  see  how  the 
traffic  is  carried  on. 

My  way  led  through  several  of  the  villages  which  are  scattered 
about  the  extensive  plain.  Every  head  of  a  family  makes  a  sep- 
arate little  settlement,  and  the  huts  of  his  wives  and  slaves  which 
surround  his  own  make  mostly  quite  a  little  village.  Each  of 
these  groups  is  hidden  from  view  by  surrounding  clumps  of  bush- 
es, and  near  each  are  the  fields  cultivated  by  the  slaves.  The  ob- 
ject of  building  separately  in  this  way  is  to  prevent  the  destruc- 
tion which  used  frequently  to  fall  upon  their  larger  towns  at  the 
hands  of  the  British  cruisers,  who  have  done  their  best  several 
times  to  break  up  this  nest  of  slave-dealing.  A  town  could  be 
.shelled  and  burned  down.  These  scattered  plantations  afford  no 
mark. 

Cape  Lopez  boasts  of  two  slave-factories.  Of  these  I  now  vis- 
ited that  kept  by  the  Portuguese.  It  was,  from  the  outside,  an 
immense  inclosure,  protected  by  a  fence  of  palisades  twelve  feet 
high,  and  sharp-pointed  at  the  top.  Passing  through  the  gate, 
which  was  standing  open,  I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
collection  of  shanties  surrounded  by  shade-trees,  under  which 

M 


173 


THE  SLAVE-PENS  OF  CAPE  LOPEZ. 


were  lying  about,  in  various  positions,  people  enough,  to  form  a 
considerable  African  town. 

An  old  Portuguese,  who  seemed  to  be  sick,  met  and  welcomed 
me,  and  conducted  me  to  the  white  men's  house,  a  two-story  frame 
building,  which  stood  immediately  fronting  the  gate.  This  was 
poorly  furnished,  but  contained  beds,  a  table,  chairs,  etc. 

Unfortunately  I  do  not  speak  either  Spanish  or  Portuguese, 
and  my  conductor  understood  neither  French  nor  English.  We 
had,  therefore,  to  make  use  of  a  native  interpreter,  who  made  slow 
work  of  our  talk  The  Portuguese  complained  that  it  was  now 
very  hard  to  land  a  cargo  in  the  Brazils,  as  the  government  was 
against  them,  and  that  each  year  the  trade  grew  duller.  To  put 
myself  on  a  right  footing  with  him,  I  told  him  I  had  not  come  to 
trade,  but  to  collect  objects  in  natural  history,  and  to  see  the  coun- 
try a»d  hunt 

I  was  now  led  around-  The  large  house  I  have  mentioned 
was  surrounded  by  a  separate  strong  fence,  and  in  the  spacious 
yard  which  was  thus  cut  off  were  the  male  slaves,  fastened  six  to- 
gether by  a  little  stout  chain  which  passed  through  a  collar  se- 
cured about  the  neck  of  each.  This  mode  of  fastening  experience 
has  proved  to  be  the  most  secure.  It  is  rare  that  six  men  are 
unanimous  in  any  move  for  their  own  good,  and  it  is  found  that 
no  attempts  to  liberate  themselves,  when  thus  fastened,  succeed. 
They  reposed  under  sheds  or  shelters  built  about  the  yard,  and 
here  and  there  were  buckets  of  water  from  which  they  could 
drink  when  they  felt  inclined. 

Beyond  this  yard  was  another  for  the  women  and  children, 
who  were  not  manacled,  but  allowed  to  rove  at  pleasure  through 
their  yard,  which  was  also  protected  by  a  fence.  The  men  were 
almost  naked.  The  women  wore  invariably  a  cloth  about  their 
middle. 

Back  of  the  great  houses  was  the  hospital  for  sick  slaves.  It 
was  not  ill-arranged,  the  rooms  being  large  and  well-ventilated, 
and  the  beds — structures  of  bamboo  covered  with  a  mat — were 
ranged  about  the  walls. 

Outside  of  all  the  minor  yards,  under  some  trees,  were  the 
huge  caldrons  in  which  the  beans  and  rice,  which  serve  as  slave- 
food,  were  cooked.  Each  yard  had  several  Portuguese  overseers, 
who  kept  watch  and  order,  and  superintended  the  cleaning  out  of 
the  yards,  which  is  performed  daily  by  the  slaves  themselves. 


AN"  UNTVELC01IE  BEDFELLOW. 


178 


From  time  to  time,  too.  these  overseers  take  the  slaves  down  to 
the  sea-shore  and  make  them  bathe. 

I  remarked  that  many  of  the  slaves  were  quite  merry,  and 
seemed  perfectly  content  with  their  fate.  Others  were  sad.  and 
seemed  filled  with  dread  of  their  future ;  for,  to  lend  an  added 
horror  to  the  position  of  these  poor  creatures,  they  firmly  believe 
thai  we  whites  buy  them  to  eat  them  They  can  not  conceive  of 
any  other  use  to  be  made  of  them :  and  wherever  the  slave-trade 
is  known  in  the  interior,  it  is  believed  that  the  white  men  beyond 
sea  are  great  cannibals,  who  have  to  import  blacks  for  the  market. 
Thus  a  chief  in  the  interior  country,  having  a  great  respect  for 
me,  of  whom  he  had  often  heard,  when  I  made  him  my  first  visit, 
immediately  "ordered  a  slave  to  be  killed  for  my  dinner,  and  it 
was  only  with  great  difficulty  I  was  able  to  convince  him  that  I 
did  not,  in  my  own  country,  live  on  human  flesh. 

The  slaves  here  seemed  of  many  different  tribes,  and  but  few 
even  understood  each  other.  The  slave-trade  has  become  so 
great  a  traffic  (here  I  speak  of  the  country  and  foreign  trade  alike  > 
that  it  extends  from  this  coast  quite  to  the  centre  of  the  conti- 
nent ;  and  I  have  met  slaves  on  the  coast  who  had  been  brought 
from  much  farther  in  the  interior  than  I  ever  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing. The  Shekiani,  Bakalai,  and  many  other  tribes  far  inland 
sell  their  fellows  into  slavery  on  various  pretexts  (chiefly  witch- 
craft \  and  thus  help  to  furnish  the  Sangatanga  slave  barracoons. 
The  large  rivers  which,  joining,  form  the  Xazareth,  provide  an 
easy  access  to  the  coast,  and  give  Cape  Lopez  great  advantages 
for  obtaining  a  regular  supply  of  slaves :  and  the  creeks  which 
abound  hereabouts  afford  the  vessels  good  chances  to  conceal 
themselves  from  the  watchful  cruisers. 

I  wandered  about  the  town  the  rest  of  the  day  watching  the 
lazy  negroes,  and  did  not  return  to  my  house  till  after  dark.  I 
struck  a  match  and  set  fire  to  a  torch  to  go  to  bed  by ;  and  cast- 
ing my  eyes  about  to  see  if  any  thing  had  been  disturbed,  noticed 
something  glittering  and  shining  under  my  akoko  or  low  bamboo 
bedstead.  I  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  the  object,  which  did 
not  seem  important  by  the  dim  light  of  the  torch,  till,  just  as  I  ap- 
proached the  bed  to  arrange  it,  I  saw  that  the  glitter  was  pro- 
duced by  the  shining  scales  of  an  enormous  serpent  which  lay 
quietly  coiled  up  there  within  two  feet  of  me.  My  first  motion 
was  to  retreat  behind  the  door ;  then  I  bethought  me  to  kill  it. 


180 


PURCHASE  OF  SLAVES. 


But  unfortunately  my  two  guns  were  set  against  the  wall  back  of 
the  bed,  and  the  snake  was  between  me  and  them.  As  I  stood 
watching  and  thinking  what  to  do,  keeping  the  doorway  fairly  in 
my  rear  for  a  speedy  retreat,  I  noticed  that  my  visitor  did  not  move, 
and  finally  mustered  up  courage  to  creep  along  the  floor  to  the 
bedside  and  quickly  grasp  one  gun.  Happily  it  was  loaded  very 
heavily  with  large  shot.  I  placed  the  muzzle  fairly  against  one 
of  the  coils  of  the  serpent  and  fired,  and  then  ran  out. 

At  the  report  there  was  an  instant  rush  of  negroes  from  all 
sides,  eager  to  know  what  was  the  matter.  They  thought  some 
one  had  shot  a  man,  and  then  run  into  my  house  for  concealment. 
Of  course  they  all  rushed  in  after,  helter-skelter ;  and  as  quickly 
rushed  out  again,  on  finding  a  great  snake  writhing  about  the 
floor.  Then  I  went  in  cautiously  to  reconnoitre ;  happily  my 
torch  had  kept  alight,  and  I  saw  the  snake  on  the  floor.  My 
shot  had  been  so  closely  fired  that  it  had  cut  the  body  fairly  in 
two,  and  both  ends  were  now  lopping  about  the  floor.  I  gave 
the  head  some  blows  with  a  heavy  stick,  and  thus  killed  the  ani- 
mal ;  and  then,  to  my  surprise,  it  disgorged  a  duck,  which  it  had 
probably  swallowed  that  afternoon,  and  then  sought  shelter  in 
my  hut  to  digest  it  quietly.  This  pretty  sleeping  companion 
measured  eighteen  feet  in  length.  I  must  confess  that  I  dreamed 
more  than  once  of  serpents  that  night,  for  they  are  my  horror. 

The  next  morning  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  other  slave-factory.  It 
was  a  neater  place,  but  arranged  much  like  the  first.  "While  I 
was  standing  there,  two  young  women  and  a  lad  of  fourteen  were 
brought  in  for  sale,  and  bought  by  the  Portuguese  in  my  pres- 
ence. The  boy  brought  a  twenty-gallon  cask  of  rum,  a  few  fath- 
oms of  cloth,  and  a  quantity  of  beads.  The  women  sold  at  a 
larger  rate.  Each  was  valued  at  the  following  articles,  which 
were  immediately  paid  over :  one  gun,  one  neptune  (a  flat  disk  of 
copper),  thirty  fathoms  of  cloth,  two  iron  bars,  two  cutlasses,  two 
looking-glasses,  two  files,  two  plates,  two  bolts,  a  keg  of  powder, 
a  few  beads,  and  a  small  lot  of  tobacco.  Eum  bears  a  high  price 
in  this  country. 

At  two  o'clock  this  afternoon  a  flag  was  hoisted  at  the  king's 
palace  on  the  hill,  which  signifies  that  a  slaver  is  in  the  offing. 
It  proved  to  be  a  schooner  of  about  170  tons'  burden.  She  ran 
in  and  hove  to  a  few  miles  from  shore.  Immediately  I  saw  issue 
from  one  of  the  factories  gangs  of  slaves,  who  were  rapidly  driven 


SHIPPING  SLAVES. 


181 


down  to  a  point  on  the  shore  nearest  the  vessel.  I  stood  and 
watched  the  embarkation.  The  men  were  still  chained  in  gangs 
of  six,  but  had  been  washed,' and  had  on  clean  cloths.  The  ca- 
noes were  immense  boats,  managed  by  twenty-six  paddles,  and 
carrying  besides  each  about  sixty  slaves.  Into  these  the  poor 
creatures  were  now  hurried,  and  a  more  piteous  sight  I  never 
saw.  They  seemed  terrified  almost  out  of  their  senses;  even 
those  whom  I  had  seen  in  the  factory  to  be  contented  and  happy, 
were  now  gazing  about  with  such  mortal  terror  in  their  looks  as 
one  neither  sees  nor  feels  very  often  in  life.  They  had  been  con- 
tent to  be  in  the  factory,  where  they  were  well  treated  and  had 
enough  to  eat.  But  now  they  were  being  taken  away,  they  knew 
not  whither,  and  the  frightful  stories  of  the  white  man's  cannibal- 
ism seemed  fresh  in  their  minds. 

But  there  was  no  time  allowed  for  sorrow  or  lamentation. 
Gang  after  gang  was  driven  into  the  canoes  until  they  were  full, 
and  then  they  set  out  for  the  vessel,  which  was  dancing  about  in 
the  sea  in  the  offing. 

And  now  a  new  point  of  dread  seized  the  poor  wretches,  as  I 
could  see,  watching  them  from  the  shore.  They  had  never  been 
on  rough  water  before,  and  the  motion  of  the  canoe,  as  it  skim- 
med over  the  waves  and  rolled  now  one  way  now  another,  gave 
them  fears  of  drowning,  at  which  the  paddlers  broke  into  a  laugh, 
and  forced  them  to  lie  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe. 

I  said  the  vessel  was  of  170  tons.  Six  hundred  slaves  were 
taken  off  to  her,  and  stowed  in  her  narrow  hold.  The  whole  em- 
barkation did  not  last  two  hours,  and  then,  hoisting  her  white 
sails,  away  she  sailed  for  the  South  American  coast.  She  hoisted 
no  colors  while  near  the  shore,  but  was  evidently  recognized  by 
the  people  on  shore.  She  seemed  an  American-built  schooner. 
The  vessels  are,  in  fact,  Brazilian,  Portuguese,  Spanish,  some- 
times Sardinian,  but  oftenest  of  all  American.  Even  whalers,  I 
have  been  told,  have  come  to  the  coast,  got  their  slave  cargo,  and 
departed  unmolested,  and  setting  it  down  in  Cuba  or  Brazil,  re- 
turned to  their  whaling  business  no  one  the  wiser.  The  slave- 
dealers  and  their  overseers  on  the  coast  are  generally  Spanish  and 
Portuguese.  One  of  the  head  men  at  the  factories  here  told  me 
he  had  been  taken  twice  on  board  slave  vessels,  of  course  losing 
his  cargo  each  time.  Once  he  had  been  taken  into  Brest  by  a 
French  vessel,  but  by  the  French  laws  he  was  acquitted,  as  the 


182 


DECAY  OF  THE  SLAVE-TRADE. 


French  do  not  take  Portuguese  vessels.  He  told  me  he  thought 
he  would  make  his  fortune  in  a  very  short  time  now,  and  then 
he  meant  to  return  to  Portugal. 

The  slave-trade  is  really  decreasing.  The  hardest  blow  has 
been  struck  at  it  by  the  Brazilians.  They  have  for  some  years 
been  alarmed  at  the  great  superiority  in  numbers  of  the  Africans 
in  Brazil  to  its  white  population,  and  the  government  and  people 
have  united  to  discourage  the  trade,  and  put  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  its  successful  prosecution.  If  now  the  trade  to  Cuba  could 
also  be  stopped,  this  would  do  more  to  put  an  end  to  the  whole 
business  than  the  blockading  of  all  the  navies  of  the  world. 

It  is  impossible  for  any  limited  number  of  vessels  to  effectually 
guard  4000  miles  of  coast.  Eight  or  ten  years  ago,  when  I  first 
arrived  on  this  coast,  the  British  kept  some  twenty-six  vessels 
of  light  draught  on  the  coast,  several  of  which  were  steamers, 
while  the  rest  were  good  sailers.  The  French  also  had  26  vessels 
there,  and  the  Americans  their  complement.  But,  with  all  this 
force  to  hinder,  the  slave-trade  was  never  more  prosperous.  The 
demand  in  Brazil  and  Cuba  was  good,  and  barracoons  were  estab- 
lished all  along  the  coast.  Many  vessels  were  taken,  but  many 
more  escaped.  The  profits  are  so  great  that  the  slave-dealers 
could  afford  to  send  really  immense  fleets,  and  count  with  almost 
mathematical  certainty  on  making  a  great  profit  from  those  which 
escaped  the  cruisers.  The  barracoons  were  shifted  from  place  to 
place  to  escape  the  vigilance  of  the  men-of-war;  and  no  sooner 
was  one  of  these  depots  broken  up  than  another  was  established 
in  some  neighboriug  creek  or  bay.  So  great  was  the  demand 
that  great  atrocities  were  sometimes  practiced  on  innocent  ne- 
groes by  shrewd  captains,  who  begrudged  even  the  small  price 
they  had  to  pay  for  slaves.  Thus  it  is  related  of  one  that  he  in- 
vited a  number  of  friendly  natives  on  board  of  his  vessel,  then 
shut  them  under  hatches,  and  sailed  away  with  them  to  Cuba  to 
sell  them. 

A  pregnant  sign  of  the  decay  of  the  business  is  that  those  en- 
gaged in  it  begin  to  cheat  each  other.  I  was  told  by  Portuguese 
on  the  coast  that  within  two  or  three  years  the  conduct  of  Bra- 
zilian houses  had  been  very  bad.  They  had  received  cargo  after 
cargo,  and  when  pressed  for  pay  had  denied  and  refused.  Similar 
complaints  are  made  of  Cuban  houses ;  and  it  is  said  that  now  a 
captain  holds  on  to  his  cargo  till  he  sees  the  doubloons,  and  takes 


IDOL  WOKSHIT. 


183 


the  gold  in  one  hand  while  he  sends  the  slaves  over  the  side  with 
the  other.  While  the  trade  was  brisk  they  had  no  occasion  to 
quarrel.  As  the  profits  become  more  precarious  each  will  try  to 
cut  the  other's  throat. 

Now  there  are  not  many  barracoons  north  of  the  equator,  and 
the  chief  trade  centres  about  the  mouth  of  the  Congo.  The  law- 
ful trade  has  taken  the  place  of  the  slave  traffic  to  the  northward ; 
and  if  the  French  government  will  only  abolish  the  system  of 
•'apprenticeship,"  lawful  trade  will  soon  make  its  way  to  the 
south. 

When  the  schooner  sailed  I  visited  the  king,  and  was  an- 
nounced to  his  majesty  by  the  great  mafouga.  On  my  way  to 
the  king's  house  I  passed  three  little  houses,  in  which  I  was  then 
told  were  deposited  five  idols,  who,  I  knew,  were  considered  the 
most  powerful  on  all  the  coast  from  Banoko  to  Mayombai.  They 
are  thought  to  be  the  great  protectors  of  all  the  Oroungou  tribes, 
and  are  themselves  placed  near  the  king's  house,  who  delights  to 
do  them  honor,  and  whom  they  protect  from  all  evil. 

The  five  idols  are  deposited  in  three  houses.  Pangeo,  a  male 
idol,  is  married  to  Aleka,  and  the  two  stand  together  in  one 
house.  Pangeo  is  the  special  protector  of  the  king  and  his  peo- 
ple, and  watches  over  them  by  night,  keeping  off  every  evil. 

Makambi,  a  second  male  idol,  is  married  to  Abiala,  and  they 
have  a  second  house  to  themselves.  Poor  Makambi  is  a  power- 
less god,  his  wife  having  usurped  the  power.  She  holds  a  pistol 
in  her  hand,  with  which  it  is  supposed  she  can  kill  any  one  she 
pleases :  for  which  reason  the  natives  fear  her  greatly.  She  pro- 
4  tects  them  from  various  evils ;  and  when  they  are  sick  they  im- 
plore her  to  make  them  well,  and  bring  her  presents  of  food  to 
propitiate  her. 

Last  comes  a  bachelor-god,  Numba,  who  is  the  Oroungou 
Neptune  and  Mercury  in  one,  keeping  off  the  evils  which  are  to 
come  from  beyond  sea  and  ruling  the  wave.  He  has  the  third 
house  all  to  himself. 

These  idols  are  all  large,  and  very  rudely  carved  and  orna- 
mented. The  people  seem  to  place  great  value  upon  them.  I 
offered  $20  for  one,  but  was  told  I  could  not  buy  it  for  100  slaves 
even,  which  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  it  was  not  to  be  bought. 


184 


START  FOR  THE  INTERIOR. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Set  out  for  the  Interior. — Prairies. — Odd  Mistake. — Hippopotami. — Ngola. — Ne- 
gro Theology. — Hunts. — Torture  of  a  Woman. — Rum. — The  Shekiani. — Appear- 
ance, Manners,  and  Customs. — Polygamy. — Marriage. — Superstitions. — Bos  bra- 
chicheros. — Camp  in  the  Woods. — African  Humor. — Solid  Comfort. — Hunting  with 
a  Leopard. — Great  Jollification. — Superstition  about  the  Leopard. — Elephant- 
shooting. — Meeting  a  Boa. — Stalking  the  wild  Bull. — Return  to  Sangatanga. — I 
am  accused  of  Sorcery. — Idols. — Bango's  Treasures. — Burial-ground  of  the  Bar- 
racoons. — Disgusting  Sights. — Status  of  Slaves  in  Africa. — Oroungou  Cemetery. 
— An  African  Watering-place. — Fetich  Point. 

"When  I  asked  the  king  for  permission  to  go  into  the  interior 
on  a  hunt,  he  immediately  gave  me  twenty -five  men  along,  to  carry 
my  luggage  and  help  me  in  hunting.  Of  these  three  were  his 
majesty's  own  slaves,  and  reputed  the  greatest  hunters  in  the 
country.  They  were  the  providers  of  the  royal  table,  and  passed 
their  lives  in  the  hunt  and  in  the  bush.  They  killed  elephants 
on  his  account,  bringing  him  home  the  ivory. 

I  desired  to  penetrate  into  the  hitherto  unexplored  interior  of 
this  latitude  till  we  should  meet  the  Nazareth  River,  which  I  was 
told  we  should  do  at  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles  to 
the  east.  For  their  services  I  agreed  to  give  the  men  twenty 
fathoms  of  cotton  cloth  each,  if  they  behaved  themselves  faithful- 
ly toward  me.  They  seemed  very  willing  to  go,  and  satisfied  4 
with  the  bargain. 

In  two  days  I  was  fully  prepared  for  a  start.  As  we  were  to 
meet  elephants,  leopards,  buffaloes,  and  the  gorilla,  I  provided  my- 
self with  a  good  supply  of  bullets.  I  was  told  that  game  was 
very  plentiful  in  all  the  region  I  was  now  to  visit,  people  being 
scarce,  and  the  country  more  favorable  than  in  those  regions  north 
of  the  Gaboon  which  I  had  just  explored ;  and  this  report  I  found 
correct. 

The  night  before  we  were  to  start  I  slept  in  a  dirty  room  at  the 
king's  house,  at  his  majesty's  request,  who  apparently  thought  he 
was  doing  me  a  great  grace.  Finally,  on  the  morning  of  the  23d. 
we  got  under  weigh.    I  had  slept  scarcely  at  all  during  the  night 


A  SINGULAR  MISTAKE. 


185 


on  account  of  the  assaults  and  gambols  of  a  prodigious  number 
of  rats,  who  seemed  anxious  to  dispute  possession  with  me  of  my 
room,  so  that  I  astonished  my  men  by  getting  them  up  at  an  un- 
usually early  hour.  At  half-past  five  we  were  already  on  the 
march,  myself  ahead,  with  Aboko,  my  head  man,  and  Niamkala, 
the  next  best,  at  my  side,  and  four  other  hunters,  and  twenty- 
three  young  men,  as  bearers  and  assistants,  following  us. 

The  way  led  through  some  beautiful  prairies,  each  surrounded 
by  dark  forests,  and  seeming  like  natural  gardens  planted  in  the 
wilderness.  It  does  not  need  much  time  to  get  into  the  "  back- 
woods" here.  By  three  o'clock  Aboko  announced  to  me  that  we 
were  now  where  any  moment  we  might  come  upon  elephants  or 
buffalo ;  and  in  a  short  time,  sure  enough,  we  saw  a  bull  standing 
deer-like  upon  the  edge  of  the  wood,  watching  us.  He  stood  for 
some  minutes,  safe  out  of  range,  and  then  turned  into  the  wood, 
evidently  not  liking  our  appearance.  We  ran  around  to  intercept 
its  track,  and  I  waited  at  one  pass  in  the  wood  for  Aboko  and 
two  others  to  get  clear  around  and  drive  the  bull  toward  me. 
Suddenly  I  saw  something  approaching  me  out  of  the  deep  gloom 
of  the  forest,  but,  looking  closely,  took  it  to  be  one  of  my  men.  It. 
came  toward  me,  and  I  walked  unsuspiciously  forward  to  a  clear 
sp*ace.  Here  the  thing  caught  sight  of  me,  and,  with  a  shrill 
scream,  ran  back  into  the  woods.  Then  first  I  knew  that  in  the 
dark  (for  in  these  forests  daylight  is  almost  shut  out)  I  had  mis- 
taken a  chimpanzee  for  a  man.  I  was  vexed ;  for  the  beast  was 
but  about  thirty  yards  off  when  it  ran,  and  I  could  have  shot  it 
easily.  Presently  my  men  returned,  and  had  a  hearty  laugh  at 
me  for  my  mistake,  which  they  did  not  take  unkindly,  seeing  no 
resemblance,  but  imputing  the  mistake  to  my  ignorance,  and  in 
part,  I  afterward  found,  to  lack  of  courage  on  my  part.  vOf  their 
mistake  in  this  last  regard  I  fortunately  had  a  chance  to  convince 
them  afterward. 

Starting  on  again,  we  shortly  killed  a  deer,  which  was  taken 
along  for  supper.  And  now  we  seemed  to  be  really  in  a  game 
country.  For  the  first  time  I  enjoyed  my  prospects ;  for  though 
we  saw  only  single  beasts — now  a  chimpanzee  rushing  into  the 
woods  at  a  great  distance  ahead,  then  a  ngivo  (a  singular  animal, 
of  the  size  of  a  donkey,  with  shorter  legs,  no  horns,  and  black, 
with  a  yellow  spot  on  the  back),  and  again  a  deer  or  two,  flying 
quickly  out  of  range — yet  we  saw  also  abundance  of  tracks,  par- 


186 


A  CAMP  IN  THE  PRAIRIE. 


ticularly  of  the  elephant ;  and,  on  the  whole,  I  could  see  that  we 
should  have  some  famous  hunts.  But  I  felt  that  I  should  have 
brought  my  rifle,  at  least  for  this  country,  for  the  grass  was  so 
short  that  on  the  prairies  it  was  impossible  to  approach  an  animal 
within  the  range  of  my  double-barrel  guns,  which  were  better  cal- 
culated for  close  quarters. 

At  six  we  camped  in  the  midst  of  a  prairie,  my  men  collecting 
from  the  nearest  forest  an  immense  quantity  of  firewood,  and 
building  fires  which  must  have  been  visible  at  a  great  distance. 
Our  supper  was  of  roast  vension  and  plantains — good  enough  for 
such  hungry  fellows  as  we ;  and  shortly  after  seven  we  all  turned 
in ;  that  is  to  say,  we  stretched  ourselves  with  our  feet  to  the  fires, 
and  wrapped  up,  I  in  my  blankets,  and  the  men  in  whatever  they 
could  get  together  of  leaves  and  grass.  No  wonder  the  poor  fel- 
lows love  a  fire.  They  are  very  lightly  dressed,  and  the  winds 
here,  near  the  equator  as  it  is,  in  the  dry  season  are  very  bleak 
and  cold  when  the  sun  is  not  up  to  warm  them.  I  could  not 
rest  well  for  cold,  though  I  had  a  thick  blanket  about  me. 

We  had  traveled  about  twenty-five  miles  —  ten  toward  E.X.E. 
—  through  a  really  beautiful  country,  rolling  and  hilly,  mostly 
prairie,  as  I  have  said,  with  a  light  sandy  soil,  and  with  forests 
looking  rather  like  beautiful  green  islands  in  the  midst  of  the 
clear  spaces.  The  woods  are  the  safe  retreats  of  great  herds  of 
the  wild  buffalo  (Bos  brachicheros),  of  deer,  and  antelopes,  who  come 
into  the  great  grass-fields  by  night  to  play  and  feed. 

Withal  the  country  was  much  broken  up,  and  the  highest  hills 
broke  off  in  abrupt  precipices,  on  which  one  would  come  sudden- 
ly, and  look  down  sometimes  a  hundred  feet  and  even  more  into 
little  vales  which  led  to  other  hills,  and  in  whose  quiet  gloom  we 
could  sometimes  distinguish  animals  walking  or  lying  down. 
One  gorge  we  had  to  cross  on  a  huge  tree  ;  but  this  was  a  stream 
which  flowed  down  toward  the  sea.  We  crossed  three  or  four 
little  streams,  all  clear  and  beautiful ;  but,  unless  the  deeper  dales 
have  more  water  (as  I  imagine  they  have),  the  country  is  not  well 
watered. 

The  night  was  clear  and  almost  frosty,  and  I  could  not  sleep, 
though  I  had  placed  my  boxes  to  windward  for  shelter.  So 
about  two  o'clock  I  roused  every  body  up  to  move  on,  thinking 
it  easier  to  keep  warm  in  motion  than  while  lying  still.  The  men 
were  very  glad.    Poor  fellows !  they  had  suffered  more  than  L 


A  CARAVAN. 


187 


Happily  it  was  bright  moonlight,  and  we  could  see  our  way  clear- 
ly across  the  prairie.  A  couple  of  hours'  sharp  walking  brought 
us  to  a  thick  wood  so  situated  as  to  shelter  us  from  the  wind.  Here 
we  quickly  built  a  tremendous  fire,  and  again  stretched  out  for  a 
short  nap,  which  lasted  till  six,  or  sunrise,  when  the  cry  of  the 
gray  partridge  (Francolinus  sqitamatus)  aroused  us. 

Sunrise  found  us  under  weigh  again ;  and  before  us  a  fine 
stretch  of  prairie,  on  whose  farther  borders  were  quietly  grazing 
several  herds  of  buffalo,  which  quickly  ran  into  the  woods. 
While  they  remained  they  gave  the  wild  a  singularly  civilized 
appearance.  It  looked  like  a  great  grazing  farm  in  June,  with 
cattle,  and  hay  almost  ready  for  harvest ;  a  fine,  quiet,  old-country 
picture  here  in  the  wilds  of  Africa. 

Toward  nine  o'clock  we  came  to  a  large  pool  or  lakelet,  and  here 
I  saw  for  the  first  time  a  hippopotamus.  A  dozen  of  the  vast  un- 
wieldly  creatures  were  sporting  and  snorting  in  the  water,  now 
popping  their  huge  unshapely  heads  out  and  then  diving  to  the 
bottom.  Aboko  persuaded  me  not  to  kill  any  of  them,  as  he 
justly  remarked  we  could  not  have  got  them  out  of  the  water ; 
and  the  proper  way  is  to  take  them  when  they  come  on  shore  at 
night  to  feed. 

Shortly  after  we  came  to  an  open  space,  and  saw  in  the  dis- 
tance what  I  took  at  first  to  be  a  herd  of  buffalo,  but  which  proved 
to  be  a  caravan  approaching  us.  When  they  saw  us  they  pre- 
pared for  trouble — for  here  there  is  no  law,  and  every  man's  hand 
is  against  his  brother.  The  greater  number  hid  in  the  grass ;  and, 
after  some  reconnoitring,  four  fellows,  well  armed,  came  toward 
us  to  ask  if  it  was  peace  or  war.  When  they  saw  me  they  were 
at  once  filled  with  surprise,  and,  losing  their  fears  in  their  amaze- 
ment at  seeing  a  white  man  far  in  the  interior,  began  to  shout  out 
to  their  company  to  come  and  see  the  Otangani. 

I  was  immediately  surrounded  by  a  curious  crowd,  most  of 
whom  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before,  though  it  was  evident 
they  had  had  dealings  with  their  black  agents.  They  were  bound 
south  and  east  with  tobacco,  salt,  and  goods,  and  intended  to  bring 
back  slaves  and  ivory.  Of  course,  they  were  Shekianis,  who  are 
the  prevailing  people  in  the  interior  hereabouts. 

We  left  them  in  the  midst  of  their  wonder,  being  anxious  to 
get  on  to  a  village  which  we  reached  about  the  middle  of  the  aft- 
ernoon.   This  village,  Ngola  by  name,  was  the  residence  of  a 


188 


NGOLA. 


Shekiani  chief  named  Njambai,  a  vassal  of  King  Bango,  -who  hao 
sent  word  by  Aboko  that  I  was  to  be  entertained  as  long  as  I 
liked  to  stay  and  hunt.  It  contained  about  fifty  neat  bamboo 
houses,  running  in  a  double  row  along  a  long  street,  in  the  Afri- 
can fashion.  But  the  whole  place  had  a  pleasing  look  of  neat- 
ness which  was  not  peculiarly  African.  It  lies  fifty-two  miles  due 
east  from  Sangatanga. 

As  we  approached  the  women  caught  sight  of  me,  and  ran 
screaming  into  the  houses.  It  is  curious  that  nothing  excites  so 
much  terror  in  an  interior  African  village  as  the  appearance  of  a 
white  man.  The  women  and  children  run  for  their  lives,  and 
seem  to  be  afraid  that  the  mere  sight  of  a  white  is  enough  to  kill 
them.  Here,  however,  the  men  did  not  seem  to  be  afraid,  as  my 
cannibal  friends  were ;  and,  though  Njambai  had  never  before 
seen  a  white  man,  he  received  me  very  courteously.  Aboko  de- 
livered King  Bango's  message,  to  which  Njambai  replied  to  me 
that  he  owned  all  the  country  hereabouts,  and  I  should  have  as 
many  men  to  help  me  hunt  it  as  I  wished.  All  which  being  sat- 
isfactorily arranged,  I  was  escorted  to  the  house  of  the  king's 
brother,  which,  being  the  most  commodious  in  the  town,  was  set 
apart  for  my  use. 

Njambai's  house  was  built,  as  the  rest,  of  bamboo,  roofed  with 
palm-leaves,  and  floored  with  hardened  clay.  Every  thing  inside 
was  very  neat ;  the  walls  were  hung  with  a  few  colored  pictures, 
sent  probably  by  Bango ;  and,  though  there  were  no  chairs,  there 
were  two  wooden  benches,  covered  with  mats,  on  which  the  king 
and  I  sat  while  conversing.  The  house  was  about  twenty  feet 
long,  by  ten  high  and  ten  deep,  and  had  a  neat  veranda  in  front. 

I  could  see  that  the  old  fellow  was  vastly  delighted  at  my  vis- 
it, for  it  was  an  honor  that  had  hitherto  (luckily  for  me)  befallen 
none  of  his  rival  chiefs.  I  was  sure,  therefore,  to  be  well  treated. 
In  fact,  I  had  the  best  house,  and  had  hardly  arranged  my  things 
when  dinner  was  ready  for  me,  consisting  of  boiled  and  roast 
plantains,  sweet  potatoes,  boiled  fowls,  and  roast  monkey — of 
which  last  I  did  not  on  this  occasion  partake,  as  monkey  seems 
too  much  like  man  until  you  get  very  hungry.  After  dinner  I 
sent  the  king  some  heads  of  Virginia  tobacco,  which  was  the  most 
welcome  present  I  could  make  him,  American  tobacco  being  very 
scarce  in  the  interior,  and  much  better  than  the  native  weed. 
He  sent  me,  in  return,  a  splendid  bundle  of*sugar-cane. 


NEGRO  THEOLOGY. 


189 


Altogether,  Ngola  surprised  me.  So  much  neatness  I  did  not 
expect  to  find  among  the  natives.  The  long  street  had  not  even 
a  weed.  Shinshooko's  house,  in  which  I  was  living,  was  large 
and  commodious,  equal  to  the  Sangatanga  houses ;  and  the  door 
was  even  provided  with  lock  and  key,  so  that  when  my  baggage 
was  all  stored  away  the  worthy  Shinshooko  brought  me  the 
key,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  his  people  might  steal  if 
they  were  tempted  by  open  doors.  The  village  is  sixty  miles 
nearly  due  east  from  Sangatanga,  and,  though  no  white  man  had 
ever  been  seen  here,  I  yet  saw  many  marks  of  white  civilization 
around  me. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  I  remained  quietly  in  my  house 
reading  the  Scriptures,  and  thankful  to  have  a  day  of  rest  and  re- 
flection. My  hunters  could  scarcely  be  prevailed  upon  not  to 
hunt;  they  declared  that  Sunday  might  do  for  white  people,  but 
the  blacks  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Indeed,  when  customs 
thus  come  in  contact,  the  only  answer  the  negro  has  to  make — 
and  it  applies  to  every  thing — is,  that  the  God  who  made  the 
whites  is  not  the  God  who  made  the  blacks. 

Then  the  king  and  a  good  many  of  his  people  gathered  about 
me,  and  we  astonished  each  other  with  our  talk.  I  told  them 
that  their  fetiches  and  greegrees  were  of  no  use,  and  had  no  pow- 
ers, and  that  it  was  absurd  to  expect  any  thing  of  a  mere  wooden 
idol  that  a  .man  had  made  and  could  burn  up.  Also,  that  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  witchcraft,  and  that  it  was  very  wrong  to 
kill  people  who  were  accused  of  it ;  that  there  was  only  one  God, 
whom  the  whites  and  blacks  must  alike  love  and  depend  on. 
All  this  elicited  only  grunts  of  surprise  and  incredulity. 

Then  the  king  took  up  the  conversation,  and  remarked  that 
we  white  men  were  much  favored  by  our  God,  who  was  so  kind 
as  to  send  us  guns  and  powder  from  heaven. 

Whereupon  the  king's  brother  remarked  that  it  must  be  very 
fine  to  have  rivers  of  alougou  (rum)  flowing  through  our  country 
all  the  year  round,  and  that  he  would  like  to  live  on  the  banks  of 
such  a  river. 

Hereupon  I  said  that  we  made  our  own  guns — which  no  one 
present  seemed  to  believe ;  and  that  there  were  no  rivers  of  rum 
— which  seemed  a  disappointment  to  several. 

Next  the  king,  who  is  a  man  of  a  kind  heart,  and  given  to 
bursts  of  liberality,  informed  me  that,  in  honor  of  my  coming  to 


190 


UNLIMITED  OFFERS  OF  MARRIAGE. 


stay  with  him,  he  would  place  all  the  women  of  the  village  at  my 
command.  This  I  declined,  saying  that  white  men  thought  it 
very  wrong  to  abuse  women,  and  that  in  my  country  every  man 
had  but  one  wife  (I  did  not  mention  the  Mormons),  and  was  not 
allowed  to  have  two  or  more.  This  seemed  to  them  the  toughest 
yarn  of  all.  They  gave  a  general  shout  of  astonishment,  and 
even  the  women  said  this  was  a  curious  law,  and  not  good.  Al- 
together, I  think  they  must  have  thought  white  men  a  very  sin- 
gular people,  and  perhaps  a  negro's  account  of  America  would  be 
quite  as  curious,  and  interesting,  and  one-sided  as  a  white  man's 
account  of  Africa. 

The  next  day  my  hunters  started  out  before  daylight,  saying 
they  were  determined  to  lose  no  time,  for  fear  I  should  want 
to  stay  in  the  house  another  day.  They  have  a  species  of  dry 
humor,  these  black  fellows,  and  this  was  a  specimen  of  it.  There 
was  a  large  party  of  us,  as  some  of  the  best  hunters  of  the 
town  were  to  go  with  us.  I  gave  them  all  powder ;  guns  they 
all  have,  such  as  they  are,  and  we  divided  into  two  parties, 
Aboko  going  separately,  with  one  or  two  attendants,  on  a  leop- 
ard-hunt, while  I  took  the  great  crowd  with  me  into  the  forest  for 
what  we  should  find.  By  noon  we  were  back  with  more  game 
than  I  had  ever  shot  before  in  one  day  in  Africa,  though,  to  be 
sure,  none  of  it  was  large.  But  my  joy  was  great,  for  among  the 
animals  I  myself  killed  was  a  new  and  hitherto  unknown  variety 
of  the  Guinea-fowl,  and  a  most  beautiful  bird  at  that.  Only  a 
naturalist  can  conceive  of  my  pleasure  at  this  discovery. 

The  crested  Guinea-fowl  (Xumida  'plumifera),  as  this  bird  is 
called,  is  a  new  bird.  It  is  one  of  the  handsomest  of  all  the 
Guinea-fowls  yet  discovered.  Its  head  is  naked,  the  skin  being 
of  a  deep  bluish-black  tinge,  and  is  crowned  with  a  tuft  of  straight, 
erect,  narrow,  downy  feathers  standing  in  a  bunch  close  together. 
The  upper  part  of  the  neck,  the  throat,  and  the  occiput  are  cover- 
ed with  short  dark  feathers  in  the  male,  and  are  naked  in  the  fe- 
male. The  plumage  of  the  body  is  of  a  fine  bluish-black  ground, 
variegated  with  numerous  eyes  of  white  slightly  tinged  with  blue. 
The  bill  and  legs  are  colored  a  blue-black  similar  to  the  skin  of 
the  head.  The  secondary  quills  of  the  wings  have  the  outer 
nibs  white.  The  total  length  of  the  bird  I  shot  this  day  was  sev- 
enteen inches. 

This  bird  is  not  found  in  the  forests  near  the  sea-shore,  but  is 


TOILS  OF  A  NATURALIST. 


191 


first  met  with,  as  I  afterward  ascertained,  about  fifty  miles  east  of 
Sangatanga.  It  is  very  shy,  but  marches  in  large  flocks  through 
the  woods,  where  the  traveler  hears  its  loud  voice.  It  utters  a 
kind  of  "quack,"  hoarse  and  discordant,  like  the  voices  of  other 
Guinea-fowls.  It  avoids  the  path  left  by  travelers ;  but  its  own 
tracks  are  met  every  where  in  the  woods  it  frequents,  as  the  flock 
scratch  and  tear  up  the  ground  wherever  they  stop.  It  is  strong 
of  wing,  and  sleeps  by  night  on  the  tops  of  high  trees,  a  flock 
generally  roosting  together  on  the  same  tree.  When  surprised 
by  the  hunter  they  do  not  fly  in  a  body,  but  scatter  in  every  di- 
rection. Thus  it  is  a  difficult  bird  to  get,  and  the  natives  do  not 
often  get  a  shot  at  it.  * 

I  had  eaten  nothing  before  going  out  in  the  morning,  and  was 
therefore  glad  to  get  my  dinner  and  breakfast  in  one  before  com- 
mencing to  stuff  my  prizes.  And  I  am  sure  never  bird-fancier  or 
stuffer  took  more  pains  with  a  specimen  than  I  with  my  brilliant 
Guinea-fowl.  It  was  carefully  put  away  with  a  curious  black 
monkey  which  I  also  stuffed,  and  both  sent  to  Sangatanga  by  the 
most  careful  man  I  could  find.  By  the  time  I  was  done  I  had  a 
bad  headache,  and  not  sorry  when  Aboko  came  in  without  having 
shot  any  thing.  For  in  these  latitudes  when  an  animal  is  shot  it 
must  be  stuffed  without  loss  of  time,  else  the  ants  eat  it  up. 

I  was  so  tired  that  I  went  to  bed  early,  but  got  scarcely  any  sleep 
at  all.  The  whole  town  was  in  uproar  all  night.  The  people 
had  a  general  jollification  in  honor  of  my  staying  among  them  so 
long.  Fortunately  I  was  not  called  out  to  make  a  speech,  or  take 
any  other  part  in  the  ceremonies.  It  was  bad  enough  to  listen  to 
the  singing,  shouting,  dancing,  and  uproarious  merriment.  The 
next  day  I  had  a  worse  headache,  and  did  not  hunt ;  but  staid  in 
town,  and  was  exhibited  to  great  numbers  of  curious  Shekianis 
who  trooped  in  from  neighboring  villages  to  see  the  white  man. 
Of  course,  Njambai  was  in  ecstasies  over  the  excitement.  These 
people  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before,  and  examined  me 
with  a  curious  mixture  of  fear  and  wonder.  My  hair  especially 
excited  their  astonishment.  Many  of  them  said  I  must  be  a  spirit 
(mbuiri),  and  seemed  to  hold  me  in  great  awe. 

My  hunters  brought  in  toward  evening  a  great  quantity  of 
monkeys,  on  whose  flesh  they  feasted,  while  I  had  to  sit  down 
and  stuff  eight  of  the  rarest  specimens  before  going  to  bed,  as 
they  would  not  keep.    Fortunately  all  was  quiet ;  and  when  my 


192 


A  WOMAN  TORTURED. 


work  was  done  I  was  able  to  go  to  sleep.  It  was  one  of  their  su- 
perstitious times.  There  was  something  the  matter  with  the 
moon.  I  was  unable  to  learn  what,  nor  do  I  believe  they  knew 
exactly  themselves ;  but  every  man  covered  his  body  with  red 
and  white  chalk-marks,  and  went  to  bed. 

I  did  not  go  out  either  the  next  day,  and  counted  myself  lucky 
that  I  did  not,  for  I  was  able  to  save  the  life  of  a  poor  woman 
who  was  being  killed  with  the  most  horrible  tortures.  After 
dinner,  as  I  was  reading,  I  heard  a  woman  crying  out  as  if  in 
great  pain.  Asking  what  was  the  matter,  a  man  told  me  the 
king  was  punishing  one  of  his  wives;  and  some  others  hinted 
that  I  had  better  go  and  try  to  save  her  life.  I  hurried  over  to 
the  king's  house,  and  there,  in  front  of  the  veranda,  a  spectacle 
met  my  eyes  which  froze  my  blood  with  horror.  A  woman, 
naked,  was  tied  by  the  middle  to  a  stout  stake  driven  into  the 
ground.  Her  legs  were  stretched  out  and  fastened  to  other  small- 
er stakes,  and  stout  cords  were  bound  round  her  neck,  waist,  an- 
kles, and  wrists.  These  cords  were  being  twisted  with  sticks,  and 
when  I  arrived  the  skin  was  already  bursting  from  the  terrible 
compression.  A  great  crowd  of  spectators  were  standing  around, 
not  much  excited.    I  suppose  they  were  used  to  such  scenes. 

I  walked  up,  and,  taking  the  king  by  the  arm,  asked  him  to  re- 
lease the  poor  wretch  for  my  sake,  and  not  to  kill  her.  "When  I 
spoke  the  twisting  ceased.  The  executioners  were  willing  enough 
to  suspend  operations,  it  seemed  to  me.  The  king  seemed  to  hes- 
itate— was  not  willing  to  be  balked  of  his  revenge.  He  walked 
into  his  house.  I  followed  him,  and  threatened  to  leave  his  town 
immediately  if  he  did  not  release  her.  Finally  he  gave  in,  and 
said,  "  Let  her  loose  yourself.    I  give  her  to  you." 

I  rushed  immediately,  and,  being  unable  to  untie  the  savage 
cords,  cut  them  with  my  knife.  The  poor  creature  was  covered 
with  blood.  Some  of  the  ropes  had  penetrated  so  deeply  that  the 
ilesh  had  burst  open,  and  she  bled  freely.  However,  she  was  not 
seriously  hurt ;  and  I  thanked  God  in  my  heart  that  I  had  been 
able  to  save  her  life.  I  went  immediately  in  to  the  king  and  made 
him  promise  me  that  he  would  not  touch  her  again.  Then  I  ask- 
ed what  she  had  done  to  deserve  such  punishment.  He  said  she 
had  stolen  the  bead  belt  which  he  usually  wore  around  his  waist 
and  given  it  to  her  lover — a  heinous  offense  truly. 

Then,  to  change  the  current  of  his  ebony  majesty's  thoughts,  I 


PHASIDUS  NIGER. 


193 


pointed  out  to  him  a  small  bird  sitting  upon  the  top  of  a  high  tree 
near  his  house,  and  said  I  could  kilf  that  bird.  He  said  it  was 
impossible,  as  I  knew  he  would.  The  negroes  are  poor  marks- 
men. I  sent  for  my  gun,  took  aim,  and  brought  down  the  bird, 
amid  the  loud  shouts  of  his  majesty  and  the  populace.  They  ex- 
amined my  gun,  which  had  a  c«2>lock,  and  was  a  great  wonder  to 
them,  as,  of  course,  they  use  only  flint-locks.  Then  they  said  I 
had  a  greegree  or  fetich  to  help  me  shoot.  No  one  who  had  not 
a  powerful  charm  could  do  such  things,  they  thought. 

Then,  to  clinch  their  good-humor,  I  brought  out  my  matchbox 
and  struck  a  light.  This  has  never  failed  to  get  me  a  great  rep- 
utation among  the  interior  negroes.  It  is  a  trick  which  seems 
to  them  the  most  marvelous  of  all,  and  these  Shekianis  were 
never  tired  of  seeing  me  "make  fire." 

The  next  day  I  went  out  hunting  myself,  and,  to  my  great 
joy,  shot  another  new  bird,  a  black  pheasant  {Phasidus  niger), 
one  of  the  most  singular  birds  I  have  seen  in  Africa,  and  the 
discovery  of  which  I  rank  as  next  in  importance  to  that  of  the 
new  Guinea-fowl  described  before.  Indeed,  of  the  sixty  odd  new 
birds  I  was  able  to  add  to  the  list  of  known  African  birds,  these 
two  seem  to  me  the  most  interesting. 

Phasidus  niger  is  about  eighteen  inches  long,  including  the  tail 
feathers.  Its  head  and  the  upper  part  of  its  neck  are  bare  or 
naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  longitudinal  strip  of  short  black 
feathers  which  runs  from  the  base  of  the  bill  to  the  occiput,  end- 
ing abruptly.  The  head,  where  it  is  bare,  is  in  the  female  of  a 
pink  hue,  and  in  the  male  a  bright  scarlet.  The  throat,  in  front, 
has  very  short  feathers.  When  I  saw  this  bird  for  the  first  time 
in  the  woods,  I  thought  I  saw  before  me  a  domestic  chicken.  The 
natives  have  noticed  the  resemblance  too,  as  their  name  for  it 
shows  :  couba  iga,  signifying  wild  fowl.  Wild  they  are,  and  most 
difficult  to  approach ;  and  also  rare,  even  in  the  forests  where 
they  are  at  home.  They  are  not  found  at  all  on  the  sea-coast, 
and  do  not  appear  until  the  traveler  reaches  the  range  of  fifty  or 
sixty  miles  from  the  coast.  Even  there  they  are  so  rare  that, 
though  I  looked  out  for  them  constantly,  I  killed  but  three  in  all 
my  expeditions.  It  is  not  gregarious,  like  the  Guinea-fowl,  but 
wanders  through  the  woods,  a  male  and  one,  or,  at  most,  two  fe- 
males in  company.  Also  it  is  very  watchful,  and  flies  off  to  its 
retreats  in  the  woods  at  the  slightest  alarm. 

N 


194  "MORE  RUM." 

I  begin  now  to  have  so  many  animals  on  hand  that  I  find  I  can 
not  go  as  far  as  the  Nazareth.  The  risk  of  losing  all  my  collec- 
tion is  too  great ;  and  the  trouble  of  taking  care  of  it  is  greater 
yet.  The  ants — those  little  pests — are  constantly  on  the  look-out 
for  prey ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  leave  an  animal  about  for  the 
shortest  time  without  imminent  risk  of  having  it  destroyed.  Let 
the  reader  bear  in  mind  that  not  only  has  the  hunter-naturalist 
in  these  African  backwoods  to  kill  his  game,  which  may  occupy 
all  day,  but  when  he  comes  home  tired  he  must  immediately  stuff 
it  that  it  may  not  spoil,  and  then  it  must  be  suspended  by  strings 
from  the  rafters  of  the  house  to  keep  the  ants  off.  The  slightest 
carelessness  brings  ruin  upon  his  most  cherished  specimens ;  and 
I  have  more  than  once  been  reduced  to  the  brink  of  despair  by 
finding  a  choice  bird  or  other  animal  in  one  night,  and  through 
one  slight  oversight  in  the  j)reparation  of  the  suspending  cord, 
completely  riddled  and  ruined  by  the  ants  before  morning. 

I  told  the  king  that  I  must  return  to  Sangatanga,  and  then  be- 
gan to  pack  my  animals  and  skeletons  in  such  parcels  as  would 
be  handy  to  carry.  We  are  to  start  early  to-morrow  (30th),  and 
this  evening  I  distributed  all  my  tobacco  among  the  people  of  the 
village.  They  have  treated  me  well,  and  deserved  this  trifle, 
which  is  to  them  a  great  favor. 

The  king  gave  me,  as  provision  for  my  route,  a  chicken,  half  a 
dozen  eggs,  and  twelve  bunches  of  plantains.  I  promised  to 
send  him  from  Sangatanga  25  heads  of  tobacco,  a  piece  of  cloth, 
a  glass  full  of  powder,  three  pipes,  and  some  beads.  He  added  a 
particular  request  for  some  rum,  to  which  I  did  not  agree. 

Then  he  said  that  I  must  come  again  and  see  him,  and  stay 
longer,  and  I  should  have  his  best  hunters  to  help  me.  "  But," 
added  he,  "when  you  come  don't  forget  to  bring  some  rum.'' 
And  so  he  went  on,  begging  this  and  promising  that,  but  always 
recurring  to  the  rum.  Poor  old  king,  how  he  would  have  enjoy- 
ed a  trip  to  Sangatanga,  where  he  might  have  got  his  fill  of  his 
beloved  rum.  For  my  part,  I  made  it  a  point  of  principle  during 
my  travels  in  Africa  never  to  give  a  negro  rum. 

When  we  were  ready  to  start  the  king  gave  me  his  son  along, 
to  bring  back  his  presents,  and  desired  me  particularly  not  to  for- 
get the  rum.  Saying  which,  he  gave  me,  as  a  souvenir,  an  old 
clay  pipe,  black  with  age  and  use,  which  he  seemed  to  have  a 
great  affection  for.    He  desired  me  to  carry  it  to  my  own  coun- 


PECULIARITIES  OF  THE  SHEKIANIS. 


195 


try,  and  tell  the  people  that  this  had  been  the  favorite  pipe  of 
King  Njambai. 

I  penetrated,  on  different  occasions,  as  far  as  twenty  miles  due 
cast  of  Njambai's  town,  but  found  the  country  no  wise,  different 
from  that  already  described.  As  this  is  the  last  time  we  are  to 
come  in  contact  with  the  Shekiani  tribe  in  these  pages,  it  seems 
a  proper  place  to  give  the  reader  some  general  information  con- 
cerning this  large  and  important  tribe. 

The  Shekiani  tribe,  and  those  people  who  are  closely  allied  to 
them  and  speak  various  dialects  of  their  language,  occupy  a  por- 
tion of  the  sea-shore  and  interior  as  far  as  80  miles  from  the  sea 
— from  the  banks  of  the  Muni  and  Moondah  down  as  far  south 
as  the  banks  of  the  Ogobay.  Through  this  great  extent  of  coun- 
try they  are  scattered  in  villages,  having  nowhere  any  central 
point  of  union,  and  living,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Mpongwe  and  Bakalai  people.  Still  they  manage  to  keep  up 
their  nationality.  In  some  parts  they  are  most  numerous  near 
the  coast;  in  others  they  range  as  the  second,  third,  and  even 
fourth  tribe  inland.  Thus  they  are  settled  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Muni  and  Moondah,  and  inhabit  the  sea-shore  between  the  latter 
river  and  the  Gaboon ;  while  south  of  the  Gaboon  they  have 
given  way  to  the  Mpongwe,  and  have  their  villages  in  the  interior. 

In  person  they  are  of  ordinary  size,  generally  light-colored  for 
negroes,  and  not  so  fine-looking  as  the  Mpongwe  or  Mbingas. 
They  are  warlike,  treacherous,  much  given  to  trading,  and  are 
real  cheats.  They  are  ardent  hunters,  and  have  sufficient  cour- 
age and  great  skill  in  wood-craft,  being  very  lithe  and  active,  light 
of  foot,  and  cunning  in  their  manoeuvres  to  approach  their  prey. 
They  are  quarrelsome,  and  have  constant  "  palavers"  either  with 
their  own  villages  or  those  of  other  tribes.  They  have  but  little 
clan  feeling,  and  the  intercourse  between  neighboring  villages  of 
Shekiani  is  not  always  friendly,  and  scarce  ever  intimate.  The 
men,  in  common  with  all  other  African  men  I  have  met,  have 
little  or  no  taste  for  agriculture;  they  leave  the  culture  of  the 
ground  to  their  women  and  slaves.  The  sea-shore  Shekianis  own 
many  slaves,  but  those  of  the  interior  but  few. 

In  their  warfare  cunning  has  a  most  important  part.  They 
laugh  at  the  courage  of  the  white  man  who  faces  his  enemy,  and 
delight  most  in  ambushes  and  sudden  surprises.  If  one  has  a 
quarrel  with  another  he  lies  in  wait  for  him,  shoots  him  as  he  is 


196 


MODE  OF  WARFARE. 


passing  by  the  way,  and  immediately  retreats.  Then,  of  course, 
the  dead  man's  friends  take  up  his  quarrel;  then  ensue  other 


ambushes  and  murders ;  frequently  a  dozen  villages  are  involved 
in  the  palaver,  and  the  killing  and  robbing  goes  on  for  months 
and  even  years,  each  party  acting  as  occasion  offers.  This  breeds 
a  feeling  of  insecurity  which  is  destructive  to  all  settled  habits. 
Often,  to  escape  assassination,  a  whole  village  moves  away  and 
builds  anew  at  some  distance;  and  perhaps  then  the  enemy 
reaches  them,  or  new  complications  arise,  lending  cause  for  new 
murders. 

Withal  they  are  not  bloodthirsty,  but  simply  careless  of  human 
life,  passionate,  and  revengeful. 

Polygamy  of  course  prevails  among  them,  and  takes  rank  as  a 
political  institution,  as  has  been  already  explained.  A  man  finds 
it  to  his  interest  to  marry  into  as  many  influential  families  in  his 
own  and  other  tribes  as  he  can,  and  then  extends  his  trade  con- 
nections, and  his  influence  and  authority.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  the  cause  of  nearly  all  the  palavers  and  wars  they  have. 
The  men  are  continually  intriguing  with  strange  women,  and 
when  caught  are  murdered,  or  get  their  town  in  trouble.  Female 
chastity  is  little  valued ;  and  one  great  cause  of  the  gradual  de- 
crease of  this  and  other  tribes  is  found  in  the  fact  that  they  force 
their  females  to  marry  at  such  an  age  that  they  never  become 
mothers.  Children  are  promised  in  marriage  at  the  age  of  three 
or  four  years,  or  even  at  birth ;  and  girls  are  actually  wives  at 
eight  and  nine,  and  sometimes  earlier.  They  have  children  at 
eleven  or  twelve,  but  of  course  the  women  age  early,  and  the  ma- 
jority die  young  and  childless. 


THE  MAKRIAGE  RELATION. 


197 


Though  chastity  is  not  valued  for  itself,  adultery  is  a  serious  of- 
fense among  townsmen.  It  is  punished  by  fines,  graduated  ac- 
cording to  the  means  of  the  offender ;  and  many  men  are  sold  an- 
nually into  slavery  where  the  fine  can  not  be  levied  in  any  other 
way.  Sometimes  the  guilty  man  compromises  by  working  for  a 
certain  time  for  the  injured  husband,  and  sometimes  blood  alone 
heals  the  difficulty. 

The  man  has  generally  a  head  or  chief  wife — mostly  the  wom- 
an he  married  first;  and  to  have  criminal  intercourse  with  this 
woman  ranks  as  a  most  heinous  crime,  for  which  the  offender  is 
at  least  sold  into  slavery.  When  the  husband  forms  new  mar- 
riage connections,  and,  as  often  happens,  his  new  bride  is  but  a 
child,  she  is  then  put  under  the  care  and  guardianship  of  the  head 
wife,  who  brings  her  up  to  the  proper  age.  They  marry  also 
with  their  slave  women  ;  but  the  children  of  these  women,  though 
free,  have  less  influence  and  regard  among  the  people  than  the 
children  of  free  women.  Frequently  the  women  desert  their  hus- 
bands for  abuse  or  other  causes,  and  run  off  to  other  villages ; 
and  as  it  is  a  point  of  honor  to  return  no  fugitives  of  this  kind, 
here  is  another  fertile  source  of  palaver  and  war. 

They  are  treated  very  harshly.  The  men  take  care  to  put  all 
the  hardest  work  on  their  wives,  who  raise  the  crops,  gather  fire- 
wood, bear  all  kinds  of  burdens ;  and,  where  the  bar-wood  trade 
is  carried  on,  as  it  is  now  by  many  Shekiani  villages,  the  men 
only  cut  down  the  trees  and  split  them  into  billets,  which  the 
women  are  then  forced  to  bear  on  their  backs  through  the  forests 
and  jungle  down  to  the  river-banksf  as  they  have  but  rude  paths, 
and  beasts  of  burden  are  unknown  in  all  this  part  of  Africa, 
This  is  the  most  severe  toil  imaginable,  as  the  loads  have  to  be 
carried  often  six  or  seven  miles  or  more. 

The  Shekiani  tribe  is  divided  into  clans,  and,  though  these 
families  grow  very  large  sometimes,  marriage  between  members 
of  the  same  clan  is  prohibited.  Children  add  much  to  a  man's 
consequence,  especially  boys;  and  a  fruitful  woman  enjoys,  for 
this  reason,  great  faVor.  In  cases  where,  as  frequently  happens, 
the  head  of  the  family  is  old  and  decrepit,  the  mother  of  many 
children  has  no  questions  asked  her.  They  know  nothing  scarce- 
ly of  the  care  of  children,  and  lose  a  great  proportion  through 
mistaken  treatment  in  infancy. 

Though  they  have  villages,  they  may  almost  be  called  a  no- 


198 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


madic  people.  They  are  continually  moving  about  the  country, 
shifting  their  quarters  for  such  causes  as  a  palaver  with  a  neigh- 
boring town,  the  death  of  the  chief,  or  a  belief  that  their  present 
village  is  bewitched.  Then  they  gather  up  all  their  household 
goods,  and,  collecting  what  provision  they  can,  move  off  in  a  body, 
sometimes  many  weary  miles  away. 

Their  superstitions  are  of  the  most  degrading  and  barbarous. 
I  shall  mention  here  only  that  the  belief  in  witchcraft  is  general, 
and  causes  much  misery ;  while  of  idols,  evil  and  good  spirits, 
greegrees,  fetiches,  and  charms,  there  seems  no  end.  The  whole 
subject  of  religious  superstitions  I  shall  treat  in  detail  in  another 
chapter. 


wambee:  the  siiekianj  banjo. 


In  different  localities  the  Shekianis  are  known  by  sub-names, 
and  the  chief  of  these  are  the  Mbondemo  or  Ndemo,  the  Mbicho, 
the  Ntaimou,  and  the  Acoa — the  last  inhabiting  the  interior  be- 
tween Gaboon  and  Cape  Lo^ez — the  Mbiki,  the  Mbousha,  and 
the  Ibouay.  All  these  speak  dialects  of  the  Shekiani,  but  hold 
themselves  to  be  separate  tribes.  The  location  of  all  these  little 
nations  will  be  found  on  the  map. 

We  set  out  on  our  return  to  Sangatanga  on  the  30th.  I  did 
not  intend  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  coast,  but  desired  to  re- 
main a  couple  of  weeks  at  least  in  the  forests  and  prairies  by  the 
way,  as  I  saw  that  away  from  the  villages  I  should  have  better 
chances  to  hunt  the  shyer  animals,  and  those  which  I  was  most 
anxious  to  procure.  I  made  arrangements  by  which  the  king 
promised  to  give  such  men  as  I  sent  in  supplies  of  food  for  my 
party  from  time  to  time ;  and  having  thus  provided  against  that 
trouble  which  is  the  most  constantly  besetting  the  traveler  in  this 
country,  and  secured  myself  against  actual  starvation,  even  if  we 


A  PERMANENT  CAMP. 


199 


had  poor  success  in  hunting,  I  set  out  in  good  spirits.  "We  pass- 
ed by  a  road  or  path  slightly  diverging  from  the  one  I  had  come 
out  on,  which  gave  me  a  chance  to  see  some  new  landscapes.  It 
was  a  beautifully  clear  day,  with  a  cool  breeze  blowing,  which 
made  the  long  prairies  quite  endurable. 

Toward  three  o'clock  we  saw  before  us  a  little  lake  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  prairie,  and,  while  looking  at  the  water,  J  saw  between 
it  and  ourselves  a  solitary  buffalo.  I  was  a  little  in  advance  of 
my  party,  who  lay  down  while  I  tried  to  approach.  The  grass 
was  very  short,  and  I  was  afraid  of  being  seen ;  but  fortunately 
the  bull  presently  entered  a  patch  of  high  grass  through  which  he 
could  not  see  me,  and  now  I  advanced  quickly  within  range. 
Just  as  he  emerged  into  the  open  I  fired.  He  gave  a  deep  roar 
of  rage,  and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  dashed  toward  me.  I 
had  my  other  barrel  ready,  and  had  raised  my  gun  to  give  him 
the  second  bullet,  when  he  gave  a  little  leap  and  tumbled  down 
head  first — dead. 

When  my  fellows  saw  this  they  set  up  a  hurrah  of  joy  and  hur- 
ried to  the  prize.  It  was  at  once  skinned,  and  the  best  parts  of 
the  meat  taken  off.  We  camped  at  the  lake-side,  and  had  roast 
buffalo  for  supper.  My  men  are  all  as  fat  as  pigs,  having  lived 
high  on  monkeys  and  other  game  ever  since  we  left  Sangatanga. 
They  account  me  a  great  and  successful  hunter,  and  seem  to  think 
they  have  never  had  such  a  "  good  time." 

We  were  now  about  fifteen  miles  from  Njambai's  village;  and 
after  sleeping  a  night  over  the  matter,  I  concluded  to  make  my 
permanent  camp  in  this  pretty  prairie,  where  we  were  near  water 
and  had  a  wide  stretch  of  forest  on  one  side  of  us  for  our  hunts. 
The  men  thought  it  a  good  place,  one  likely  to  afford  us  good 
sport,  especially  as  the  lake  was  likely  to  draw  beasts  to  its  banks 
to  drink.  Accordingly,  we  spent  a  whole  day  in  arranging  our 
encampment  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  every  thing  comfortable 
and  secure.  Fortunately  it  is  now  the  .dry  season,  and  we  have 
no  rain,  but  only  the  cold  night- winds  to  fear.  With  branches  of 
trees  we  built  ourselves  shelters  which  should  protect  us  from  the 
wind.  I  had  my  boxes  piled  in  a  solid  mass  to  windward  of  my 
own  bed ;  and,  having  locked  every  thing  up,  threatened  to  shoot 
the  first  man  who  stole  any  thing  from  me.  Then  we  built  light 
roofs  of  leafy  branches  over  our  sleeping-places,  arranged  the 
fires,  and  behold !  a  village.    In  the  midst  of  our  work  came 


200 


AN  EVENING  IN  THE  WOODS. 


ten  slaves  of  Njambai  laden  with  plantains,  which  the  good  fel- 
low had  sent  after  me — a  most  welcome  supply,  for  the  plantain 
is  the  bread  of  these  regions. 

When  all  was  done,  and  we  were  ready  for  supper,  I  again 
warned  my  men  to  be  honest  and  keep  their  fingers  at  home. 
They  are  good  fellows ;  but  I  have  found  that  while  all  savages 
steal,  in  this  part  of  the  country  where  the  slave-trade  prevails, 
and  where  the  negroes  have  come  in  contact  with  the  lowest  class 
of  whites,  they  are  much  greater  thieves  than  is  even  usual  with 
them.  So  I  threatened  to  kill  the  first  man  I  caught  troubling 
my  property — to  shoot  without  mercy  ;  "  and  then,"  said  I,  with 
great  sternness,  "  when  I  have  blown  your  brains  out,  I  will  settle 
the  matter  with  your  king." 

To  which  Aboko  coolly  replied  that  the  settlement  was  not 
likely  to  do  them  any  particular  good — another  little  specimen 
of  African  humor.  , 

Of  course,  they  all  protested  loudly  that  they  were  honest ;  but 
I  knew  their  temptations,  poor  fellows !  and  had  more  confidence 
in  their  faith  that  I  would  certainly  kill  the  thief  than  in  their 
good  resolutions. 

When  this  little  matter  was  settled  we  drew  around  the  fire. 
The  sun  was  just  setting.  In  a  huge  kettle  suspended  over  the 
fire  was  boiling  a  quantity  of  the  juicy  buffalo  meat;  before  us 
was  a  great  pile  of  roasted  plantains ;  and  so,  seating  ourselves 
about  the  immense  fire,  for  it  was  growing  chilly,  we  took  a 
hearty  supper  together ;  I  eating  off  a  plate  and  using  a  fork — 
which  vestiges  of  civilization  I  have  always  managed  to  carry 
along — while  the  black  fellows  took  fresh  leaves  for  plates  and 
used  the  "black  man's  fork,"  as  they  call  their  five  fingers. 

After  dinner  they  drank  a  jug  of  palm  wine,  which  bad  been 
brought  from  Ngola ;  and  then,  to  crown  their  feast  with  the 
greatest  delight  of  all,  I  went  to  my  box  and,  lifting  the  lid,  while 
the  shining  black  faces  peered  at  me  with  saucer-eyes  of  expecta- 
tion, took  out  a  huge  head  of  Kentucky  tobacco.  This  "  brought 
down  the  house,"  so  to  speak ;  there  was  a  wild  hurrah  of  joy  as 
I  distributed  a  good  portion  to  each,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  were 
lying  about  the  fire  smoking,  with  that  peculiar  air  of  utter  con- 
tent into  which  the  African  falls  so  readily  at  the  slightest  oppor- 
tunity of  fire  and  tobacco-smoke.  Then  ensued  wild  stories  of 
hunting  adventures,  of  witchcraft,  and  evil  spirits,  well  fitting  the 


THE  HUNTER  HUNTED.  201 

rude  picturesque  surroundings;  and  they  lay  there  talking  and 
talking,  till  at  last  I  was  obliged  to  remind  them  that  it  was  one 
o'clock,  and  time  to  feel  sleepy. 

The  negroes  have  a  particular  delight  in  lying  around  a  com- ' 
fortable  fire  at  night  and  telling  stories,  and  I  have  often  found 
them  thus  engaged  late  at  night  when  entering  a  village. 

The  next  morning  (June  1st)  Aboko  and  I  went  out  in  search 
of  elephants,  while  Niamkala  went  with  some  other  men  to  hunt 
for  wild  pigs,  and,  if  he  could  find  them,  gorilla  and  chimpanzee. 
I  had  poor  luck,  killing  only  a  few  small  monkeys  and  birds,  of 
no  value ;  but  as  we  were  returning  to  the  camp  I  had  quite  un- 
expectedly, as  such  good  luck  generally  comes,  the  great  shot  of 
the  day.  As  Aboko  and  I  were  walking  carelessly  along  I  heard 
the  cry  of  a  gray  partridge  near  by,  and  turned  back  to  get  a  shot 
if  possible,  as  they  are  fine  eating.  As  I  pushed  into  the  grass — 
we  were  just  on  the  edge  of  the  forest — I  saw  suddenly  several 
buffalo,  one  of  which  I  made  sure  of,  as  he  stood  a  little  in  ad- 
vance of  the  rest,  and  the  grass  was  high  enough  for  a  stealthy 
approach.  Aboko  and  I  advanced  slowly  toward  the  uncon- 
scious bull,  who  stood  a  fair  mark ;  and  I  was  about  to  raise  my 
gun  when  Aboko  made  a  quick  sign  to  hold  still  and  listen.  As 
we  stood  perfectly  motionless  I  heard,  at  apparently  a  little  dis- 
tance before  us,  a  low  purring  sound,  which  might  have  been 
taken  by  a  careless  ear  for  the  sound  of  the  wind  passing  through 
the  grass.  But  to  Aboko's  quick  ear  it  said  something  else.  His 
face  grew  very  earnest,  and  he  whispered  to  me  "  Njego,"  which 
is  Shekiani  for  leopard. 

The  noise  continued,  and  we  moved  slowly  and  very  cautiously 
a  few  steps  ahead  to  get  a  position  where  we  could  see  over  the 
grass.  The  position  was  not  a  pleasant  one.  The  leopard  comes 
out  generally  by  night  only,  and  nothing  but  extreme  hunger 
will  bring  him  out  of  his  lair  in  open  day.  Now,  when  he  is  hun- 
gry, he  is  also  unusually  savage  and  quick  in  his  motions.  We 
knew  the  animal  was  near,  but  could  not  by  any  means  get  a 
sight  of  him.  As  the  wind  blew  from  it  toward  us,  I  perceived 
plainly  a  strong  and  peculiar  odor  which  this  animal  gives  out, 
and  this  proved  more  decidedly  that  it  could  not  be  far  off.  The 
thought  passed  through  my  mind — was  it  watching  us  ?  Did  its 
eyes  penetrate  the  grass  which  we  could  not  see  through  ?  If  so. 
was  it  perhaps  getting  ready  to  spring  ? 


202 


STALKING  A  LEOPAED. 


Meantime  our  buffalo-bull  stood  stupidly  before  bis  berd  not 
twenty  yards  from  us,  utterly  innocent  of  tbe  presence  of  so  many 
of  bis  formidable  enemies,  and  little  suspecting  tbe  curious  cir- 
"cumstances  to  wbicb  be  was  about  to  owe  bis  bfe. 

Just  tben,  luckdy,  we  moved  a  little  to  one  side,  and,  peering 
tbrougb  an  opening  in  tbe  grass,  I  bebeld  an  immense  leopard,  a 
female,  witb  a  tiny  little  leopardling  near  ber  side.  Tbe  beast 
saw  us  at  tbe  same  moment,  turning  ber  bead  quickly  at  some 
sligbt  noise  we  made.  Sbe  bad  been  watcbing  tbe  buffalo  so  in- 
tently as  not  to  notice  our  approacb.  As  I  watcbed  ber,  it  seem- 
ed to  me  as  tbougb  a  curious  look  of  indecision  passed  over  ber 
face.  Sbe,  too,  bad  more  game  than  sbe  bad  looked  for,  and  was 
puzzled  wbicb  to  attack  first.  Her  long  tail  wagged  from  side  to 
side,  and  ber  eyes  glared  as  sbe  sougbt  for  a  moment  for  a  de- 
cision. But  I  saved  ber  tbe  trouble  ;  for  in  less  time  tban  it  takes 
to  write  it  down  I  bad  put  a  ball  into  ber  bead,  wbicb,  luckily  for 
us,  relieved  ber  of  fartber  care  for  prey.  At  tbe  same  time  Abo- 
ko  fired  into  tbe  little  leopard  and  killed  that. 

I  thought  the  men  would  have  lost  their  senses  for  joy  when 
we  called  them  to  get  our  prizes.  The  leopard  is  one  of  the  most 
feared  animals  of  these  forests.  Tbe  gorilla  is  said  to  kib1  the  leop- 
ard, but  is  not  so  dangerous  to  man  as  this  great  cat.  Thus  it  is 
considered  a  great  feat  to  kill  one  of  these  animals,  and  the  whole 
camp  was  abve  witb  excitement.  Guns  were  fired,  and  every 
body  shouted  aloud.    In  the  midst  of  this  noise  ISiiamkala  came 


>i  111.1.1 — A  DIMINUTIVE  DEER. 


into  camp  with  some  wild  boars  and  a  ncheri — a  curious  little 
deer — which  were  a  welcome  addition  to  our  bill  of  fare. 


SUPEESTITIONS  ABOUT  THE  LEOPARD. 


203 


Then,  after  supper,  the  men  painted  themselves  and  sung  songs 
over  the  leopards  till  I  made  them  go  to  sleep,  which  was  not  till 
toward  morning.  They  danced,  they  sung  songs  of  victory,  they 
abused  and  exulted  over  the  deceased  leopard.  They  addressed 
comical  compliments  to  its  beauty — and  it  is  really  a  most  beauti- 
ful animal.  They  shouted,  "  Now  you  will  kill  no  more  people ! 
Now  you  will  eat  no  more  hunters !  Now  you  can  not  leap  on 
your  prey  I"  And  so  on,  till  the  mummery  grew  past  laughing 
at. 

The  next  morning,  however,  I  first  learned  the  full  extent  of 
their  rejoicing,  and  the  great  importance  attached  to  the  killing 
of  this  feared  beast.  I  was  drawn  to  where  we  had  suspended 
the  body  to  keep  the  ants  from  it  by  a  noise  of  angry  quarreling, 
and  found  Niamkala  asserting  his  determination  to  have  the  end 
of  the  leopard's  tail,  while  the  rest  of  the  hunters  were  all  assert- 
ing equal  rights  to  it,  arid  the  non-combatants,  the  bearers  of  our 
luggage,  looked  on  in  envious  silence,  evidently  wishing  they 
could  also  put  in  claims.  On  inquiry,  I  found  that  the  lucky 
possessor  of  the  end  of  a  leopard's  tail  was  sure  to  be  fortunate 
among  the  women,  and  could,  in  virtue  of  this  powerful  charm, 
win  as  many  hearts  as  he  might  desire. 

Laughing  at  them,  I  reserved  the  desired  tail  for  him  among 
them  who  should  behave  best,  and  thought  I  had  settled  the  quar- 
rel. But  now  came  a  fresh  division.  Aboko,  Niamkala,  and  Fa- 
siko,  each  wanted  the  whole  brain  of  the  animal.  For  a  few  min- 
utes a  fight  seemed  imminent  on  this  head,  which  seemed  even 
more  strenuously  disputed  than  the  other.  I  discovered  that  the 
brain,  if  properly  dried  and  mixed  with  some  other  charm  called 
monda,  and  the  nature  of  which  I  could  not  understand,  gave  its 
possessor  dauntless  courage  and  great  fortune  on  the  hunt.  And 
I  was  so  happy  as  to  persuade  my  three  hunters — who  really 
needed  no  such  anralet  to  patch  up  their  courage  —  that  a  part 
was  in  this  case  as  good  as  the  whole. 

This  settled,  I  found  that  the  liver  was  laid  before  me.  As 
this  had  no  value  or  interest  for  me,  I  was  going  to  kick  it  aside 
and  walk  off,  but  was  stopped  and  entreated  to  take  off  the  gall, 
and  myself  destroy  it.  This  was  to  be  done  to  save  the  whole 
party  from  future  trouble.  It  appears  that  the  negroes  believe 
the  gall  of  the  leopard  to  be  deadly  poison,  and  my  men  feared 
to  be  suspected  of  having  concealed  some  of  this  poison  by  their 


204 


TOUCAN. 


friends  or  enemies  at  Sangatanga.  To  settle  which  beforehand  I 
was  now  to  destroy  it,  and  afterward  to  bear  witness  for  them,  if 
by  chance  they  were  accused  of  poisoning.  Of  course  I  did  so, 
though  convinced  that  this  is  a  mere  superstitious  belief. 

This  day  (2d)  my  men  were  all  day  smoking  the  great  quan- 
tity of  meat  we  have  on  hand.  It  is  magnificent  weather  for 
hunting  and  for  living  in  the  woods.  The  air  is  cool  and  refresh- 
ing, the  sky  clouded,  which  prevents  the  sun  from  being  oppress- 
ive ;  the  forest  trees  are  in  bloom,  and,  as  many  are  fragrant,  this 
adds  to  our  pleasure.  The  nights  are  very  cold  indeed,  but 
against  that  we  manage  to  protect  ourselves.  The  dews  are  light, 
not  near  so  heavy  as  they  are  in  the  rainy  season.  The  grass  is 
in  great  part  burned  off  the  prairies,  and  this  affords  us  much  bet- 
ter chances  and  at  much  less  risk  than  if  it  were  high ;  for  though 
our  approach  is  sometimes  more  difficult,  I  find  that  if  we  get  to 
leeward  of  our  game  and  manage  cautiously,  there  is  little  dif- 
ficulty. Every  day  we  shot  more  or  less  small  and  unimportant 
game,  among  which  must  be  counted  deer,  wild  boars,  monkeys 
without  number,  and  birds.  Thus  our  camp  was  full  of  meat. 
As  these  hunts  are  commonplace  I  shall  not  give  them  place  here, 
mentioning  only  the  getting  of  the  new  and  more  important  an- 
imals. 

This  day  I  killed  another  new  bird,  a  species  of  toucan,  the 
Tockus  camurus.  This  is  the  smallest  toucan  yet  discovered, 
the  length  of  my  specimen  being  but  fourteen  inches.  Its  bill  is 
red.  The  entire  throat  and  breast  are  amber-brown,  tinged  with 
purple  on  the  rump,  and  with  greenish-bronze  on  the  wings  and 
tail.  The  wing-coverts  are  tipped  with  white,  and  this  formed 
two  conspicuous  white  bars  crossing  the  wings  diagonally.  The 
primary  feathers  have  a  single  spot  of  pale  purple  on  each  web, 
larger  on  the  inner  side ;  the  tertiaries  are  edged  with  pale 
pie  on  both  webs ;  the  under  part  of  the  wings  is  white  :  the  tail 
is  tipped  with  white,  and  the  shafts  in  the  tail  feathers  are  yellow- 
ish-white, inclining  to  golden  above  and  white  below.  This,  the 
smallest  of  the  known  toucans,  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  forests,  and 
avoids  the  prairie.  It  is  shy,  flies  in  flocks  of  from  five  or  six  to 
a  dozen,  and  is  not  found  north  of  the  equator,  at  least  so  far  as 
I  know. 

This  is  the  third  new  bird  I  have  shot  in  the  Cape  Lopez  coun- 
try.   Most  of  the  birds  found  in  these  woods  are  common  also  to 


ELEPHANT-HUNT. 


205 


Southern  Africa,  and  are  already  described.  It  is  therefore  use- 
less to  mention  them  here. 

On  the  5th  Aboko  and  Niamkala  brought  in  a  fine  boar,  and 
reported  that  they  had  come  upon  fresh  elephants'  tracks,  where- 
upon it  was  immediately  resolved  that  we  should  all  turn  out 
after  elephants  to-morrow. 

Accordingly  we  hunted  all  the  6th,  but  in  vain,  and  slept  out 
in  the  woods,  determined  to  try  again  next  day.  Elephants  are 
not  very  plentiful  in  this  region,  at  least  at  this  season,  and  seem 
to  travel  a  good  deal,  not  finding  their  feed  in  such  abundance  as 
to  induce  them  to  stay  long  in  one  place.  "We  had  traveled  near- 
ly the  whole  of  the  7th,  when  at  last,  late  in  the  afternoon,  we 
came  across  our  quarry.  Emerging  from  a  thick  part  of  the  for- 
est into  the  plain  which  bordered  it,  we  saw  to  our  left,  just  upon 
the  edge  of  the  wood,  a  solitary  bull  elephant.  I  had  seen  the 
great  beast  in  menageries,  and  also  in  the  wild  hunt  among  my 
friends  the  Fans,  where  all  was  such  confusion  that  one  could  not 
be  said  to  see  any  thing  distinctly.  But  here  all  was  still.  The 
huge  animal  stood  quietly  by  a  tree,  innocent  of  our  presence. 
And  now  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  was  struck  with  the  vast 
bulk  of  this  giant  of  the  forests.  The  eye  and  mind  had  leisure 
to  dwell  upon  his  size,  and  the  place  was  well  adapted  to  compar- 
isons. Great  trees  seemed  but  small  saplings  to  me  when  I  meas- 
ured them  with  the  immense  beast  which  was  standing  placidly 
near  them. 

But  there  was  not  much  time  for  this  feeling.  What  we  were 
to  do  was  to  kill  him,  though  I  felt  a  sense  of  pity  at  destroying 
so  great  a  life.  I  was  very  anxious  to  get  the  first  shot  myself, 
but,  after  taking  in  all  the  chances  of  approach,  was  compelled  to 
admit  that  I  could  not  manage  it  with  any  certainty.  The  grass 
was  burned  in  every  direction  to  leeward  of  him,  and  we  dared 
not  risk  approaching  him  from  the  windward' for  fear  he  should 
smell  us. 

I  was  therefore  reluctantly  compelled,  as  a  sensible  hunter,  to 
resign  in  favor  of  Aboko,  whose  eyes  glistened  with  pleasure,  as 
he  thought  now  to  show  his  skill. 

Cocking  his  musket,  he  dropped  down  into  the  short  grass,  and 
began  to  creep  up  to  the  elephant,  slowly,  and  on  his  belly.  It 
was  a  splendid  piece  of  wood-craft.  We  stood  behind  some  trees, 
whither  we  had  all  retired  to  consult,  and  watched  Aboko  as  he 


206 


DIVIDING  THE  PLUNDER. 


glided  through  the  grass,  for  all  the  world  like  a  huge  boa  con- 
strictor; for  the  slight  glimpses  we  caught  of  his  back,  as  he 
moved  farther  and  farther  away  from  us,  resembled  nothing  so 
much  as  the  folds  of  a  great  serpent  winding  his  way  on. 

Finally  we  could  no  longer  distinguish  any  motion.  Then  all 
was  silence  and  impatient  waiting,  suddenly  broken  by  the  sharp 
report  of  a  gun  ringing  through  the  wood  and  over  the  plain,  and 
eliciting  screams  of  surprise  from  sundry  scared  monkeys  and 
birds  who  had  perhaps  watched  the  secret  approach  with  us, 
though  from  a  better  point  of  view.  As  the  smoke  cleared  away 
I  saw  the  huge  beast  helplessly  tottering,  till  it  finally  threw  up 
its  trunk  and  fell  in  a  dead  mass  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  The  men 
began  to  shout  with  excitement  at  such  a  good  shot,  and  we  all 
hurried  up  to  the  shapeless  black  mass,  whose  flesh  was  yet  quiv- 
ering with  the  death-agony.  Aboko's  bullet  had  entered  its  head 
below  the  ear,  and,  striking  the  brain,  was  at  once  fatal. 

Aboko  began  to  make  fetich-marks  on  the  ground  around  the 
body,  and  this  done  we  took  an  axe  which  we  had  carried  along 
and  broke  the  skull,  in  order  to  get  out  the  two  tusks.  These 
belonged  to  Aboko  of  right,  but,  as  he  was  King  Bango's  slave, 
he  was  bound  to  give  one  to  that  sable  tyrant.  The  proceeds  of 
the  other  would  be  divided  among  the  party,  Aboko  retaining,  of 
course,  the  most  considerable  share.  The  tusks  weighed  but  30 
pounds  each. 

We  slept  that  night  near  our  prize,  about  which  the  natives 
built  a  ring  of  fire  to  keep  off  intruders.  The  next  morning, 
when  news  came  into  camp  of  our  luck,  all  the  fellows  hurried 
out  to  bring  in  the  meat,  which  was  immediately  smoked,  and 
was  to  be  carried  into  Sangatanga  to  be  sold  and  given  away. 

I  never  saw  men  happier  than  these  poor  fellows.  They  ate 
nothing  but  meat*  but  ate  such  quantities  that  several  of  them 
have  got  sick,  and  I  have  been  obliged  to  give  them  laudanum  in 
brandy  to  cure  their  diarrhoea.  The  camp  is  full  of  meat,  and  as 
we  have  no  salt  it  does  not  smell  particularly  well.  Indeed,  I 
had  to  have  a  separate  shanty  built  on  one  side  and  to  leeward 
of  the  camp,  where  all  the  meat  is  now  smoked  and  kept,  as  I 
could  not  stand  the  smell.  At  night  the  negroes  lie  around  the 
fires,  the  jolliest  of  mortals,  drinking  palm  wine,  which  they  col- 
lect regularly  from  neighboring  trees,  and  smoking  tobacco  when 
I  am  generous  to  them. 


RUN  AGAINST  A  BOA. 


207 


Meantime  I  stuffed  such  animals  as  were  worth  taking  along ;  * 
and  as  provisions  were  plenty  and  the  weather  incomparably  fine, 
my  men  in  good  spirits  and  myself  healthy,  we  were  in  no  hurry 
at  all,  and  could  afford  to  lose  a  day  or  two  in  idleness.  Differ- 
ent work  this  from  traveling  in  the  forests  of  the  Moondah  and 
Gaboon,  where  starvation  stares  one  in  the  face  the  whole  time, 
and  there  is  no  time  to  idle  from  point  to  point.  , 

On  the  14th  I  went  out  on  a  boar-hunt.  Fresh  tracks  had 
been  found  near  the  camp,  and  three  of  us  went  out  to  get  a  shot. 
"We  had  not  gone  far  when  we  heard  to  the  right  of  us  the  grunts 
of  some  pigs.  As  they  are  very  wild,  we  jumped  hastily  behind 
some  trees  to  conceal  ourselves.  My  horror  may  be  imagined, 
when,  stepping  quickly  without  looking,  I  stumbled  over  some- 
thing in  my  path,  and,  looking  down,  found  myself  running 
against  an  immense  serpent  of  the  boa  kind  which  lay  snugly 
coiled  up  beside  my  tree.  A  look  showed  me  that  the  thing  was 
in  a  state  of  stupefaction,  consequent,  probably,  on  having  eaten 
too  heavy  a  dinner.  It  scarcely  moved,  and  did  not  raise  its  head. 
I  ran  to  Niamkala  and  borrowed  a  kind  of  heavy  cutlass  he  car- 
ried with  him,  and  with  a  blow  of  this  cut  the  pithon  in  two 
pieces,  which  instantly  began  to  squirm  about  in  a  very  snaky 
and  horrible  way.  During  this  death-struggle  the  monster  void- 
ed the  body  of  a  young  deer,  which  was  in  a  half-digested  condi- 
tion, but  still  sufficiently  firm  to  enable  us  to  distinguish  what 
kind  of  animal  it  was. 

The  noise  made  in  killing  the  snake,  which  proved,  by  the  way, 
to  be  not  quite  20  feet  long,  of  course  frightened  off  the  wild  pigs. 
"We  pursued  them,  and  by  good  management  came  up  with  the 
herd,  ten  in  number,  in  about  an  hour's  time,  and  managed  to  bag 
two.  Besides  these  pigs,  my  hunters  carried  the  two  halves  of 
the  serpent  to  the  camp.  They  make  a  kind  of  soup  or  stew  of 
boa,  of  which  they  are  very  fond.  I  have  never  tasted  it,  and 
can  therefore  say  nothing  against  it. 

After  this  clay  of  hard  hunting  I  slept  sweetly  on  my  primitive 
couch,  which  consists,  I  may  as  well  explain,  of  a  couple  of  mats 
spread  on  the  bare  and  soft  earth,  and  a  thick  blanket  for  cover, 
the  blue  star-lit  sky  being  my  canopy  and  roof. 

The  16th  and  17th  were  passed  in  shooting  birds  about  the 
camp,  some  of  which  I  have  stuffed,  but  no  new  ones.  The  men 
had  meantime  been  hunting  and  exploring  in  various  directions; 


208 


LYING  OUT  FOR  BUFFALO. 


and  as  they  reported  that  great  herds  of  buffalo  (Bos  brachiclieros) 
frequented  every  night  a  prairie  situated  about  ten  miles  from 
our  camp,  I  determined  to  have  a  set-to  with  these  gentlemen. 

We  set  out  toward  sunset  of  the  17th,  and  by  8  o'clock  reached 
the  forest  which  bounded  the  prairie  in  which  we  hoped  to  find 
our  game.  Securing  for  ourselves  safe  hiding-places  in  the  woods 
on  the  edge  of  the  plain,  we  lay  down  and  waited. 

Now  waiting  is  tedious ;  but  waiting  in  a  cold  night  from  8  to 
2  o'clock,  every  moment  expecting  what  does  not  come,  is  apt  to 
try  the  patience.  Mine  was  entirely  gorfe,  and  I  wished  myself 
comfortably  under  my  blanket  in  camp,  when  suddenly  they 
came.  Aboko  heard  them  coming,  and  presently  a  herd  of  about 
25  stately  animals  emerged  from  the  woods  and  scattered  quietly 
about  the  grassy  plain.  The  moon  was  going  down,  and  we 
could  see  from  our  hiding-place  the  long  shadows  of  the  buffaloes 
silently  gliding  one  way  and  another,  but  never  near  enough  to 
us  for  a  shot.  Soon  they  felt  quite  at  ease  and  began  feeding, 
ever  and  anon  gamboling  sportively  with  each  other.  Seeing 
them  engaged,  we  crawled  upon  them  with  great  care,  and  at  a 
snail's  speed.  "We  had  almost  got  within  safe  range  when  a  sud- 
den change  of  wind  discovered  us  to  them.  They  snuffed  up  the 
air  suspiciously,  and  instantly  gathering  together  disappeared  in 
the  woods. 

Here  was  ill-luck.  My  hunters  cursed  in  Shekiani,  and  I  grum- 
bled in  several  languages.  But  there  was  still  hope.  Silently 
we  crawled  back  to  our  lair,  and  waited  patiently  for  two  mortal 
hours  more ;  when  at  last  two,  a  male  and  female,  stalked  leisure- 
ly into  the  field  and  began  to  crop  the  grass.  It  was  now  dark. 
The  moon  had  gone  down,  leaving  us  only  the  uncertain  light  of 
the  stars.  We  watched  the  motions  of  the  buffaloes  until  we 
thought  we  could  venture,  and  silently  crawled  toward  them 
again.  This  time  we  got  within  range.  I  chose  the  bull  for  my 
shot,  and  Niamkala  took  the  cow,  while  Aboko  was  ready  to  sec- 
ond me  with  his  gun  in  case  I  should  not  kill  my  animal.  We 
fired  both  at  once,  and,  by  pure  good  luck,  for  the  light  was  not 
enough  to  afford  a  chance  for  a  fair  shot,  both  the  animals  fell 
down  dead. 

It  was  now  nearly  daylight,  and  we  concluded  to  return  to  the 
camp  and  send  men  to  bring  in  the  meat,  thinking  that  no  wild 
beasts  would  trouble  our  prizes  at  such  unseasonable  hours.  But 


THE  BOS  BRACHICHEROS. 


209 


we  reckoned  without  a  hungry  leopard ;  for,  though  the  men  made 
haste  and  arrived  early,  the  cow  was  already  half  eaten.  The 
poor  leopard  who  ventured  out  so  early  in  the  morning  must 
have  been  nearly  famished,  and  I  did  not  much  grudge  him  his 
meal,  though  I  should  have  liked  to  have  watched  for  him  and 
shot  him,  had  I  thought  of  his  coming. 

On  the  22d  we  broke  up  the  camp  and  started  for  Sangatanga. 
The  day  before  was  a  busy  day.  The  men  were  packing  their 
meat,  which  they  thought  to  make  much  profit  from  in  Sanga- 
tanga. They  made  baskets  of  palm-leaves,  in  which  it  was  solid- 
ly packed  away.  And  all  the  time  they  were  working  at  this 
they  were  boasting  of  how  much  tobacco,  rum,  and  other  dainties 
they  would  get  for  all  this.  I  was  glad  to  let  them  carry  it, 
though  it  did  interfere  with  my  time  and  delayed  my  progress ; 
for  they  work  better  when  their  master  gives  them  such  little 
privileges,  which  make  them  quite  happy.  But  I  knew  their 
plans  were  of  little  account.  As  I  foresaw,  they  gave  half  of  their 
meat  away  to  their  friends ;  and  of  the  rest,  what  they  did  not  eat 
themselves,  or  waste,  or  give  away  to  begging  friends,  was  a  very 
trifle  indeed,  and  not  enough  to  trade. 

For  myself,  I  had  my  stuffed  specimens  to  pack  securely  in 
such  a  way  that  they  would  be  portable.  The  monkeys  and  birds, 
and  even  the  deer,  were  easily  carried ;  but  the  valuable  speci- 
mens of  the  Bos  brachicheros  were  an  inconvenient  load.  And 
with  these,  as  they  are  a  quite  new  and  hitherto  undescribed  spe- 
cies of  buffalo,  and  a  very  singularly  formed  animal,  I  was  obliged 
to  be  most  careful. 

All  which  puts  me  in  mind  that  the  reader  has  not  yet  had  a 
description  of  this  animal.  It  is  the  wild  buffalo  of  this  part  of 
Africa,  and  a  fierce  and  shy  beast ;  terrible  if  only  wounded,  when 
it  often  attacks  the  hunter  with  headlong  fury ;  and  very  hard 
to  come  up  with  when  it  has  been  much  hunted.  It  remains  in 
the  forest  thicknesses  by  day,  but  comes  out  into  the  open  prairie 
by  night  in  herds  of  from  ten  to  twenty  or  twenty-five.  I  have 
seen  them  in  the  prairie  in  the  daytime,  but  very  seldom ;  while, 
in  many  parts,  these  great  grass-fields  are  alive  with  them  every 
night.  Here  they  were  shy ;  but  in  one  of  my  later  trips  I  met 
great  herds  which  had  evidently  never  been  chased.  Here,  on 
my  appearance,  the  bull,  who  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  dark- 
er color  of  the  short  thin  hair,  would  rise  up,  straighten  up  his 

O 


210 


THE  NIARE. 


fine  fringed  ears,  and  his  thin,  wiry  tail,  and  gaze  at  me  with  blank 
astonishment,  until,  if  I  waited  long  enough,  all  would  slowly 
move  off  into  the  forest.  A  wounded  bull  is  a  dangerous  ani- 
mal, and  pretty  sure  to  attack  the  hunter  if  it  can  get  at  him. 
When  much  hunted  they  become  very  shy,  and  forsake  the  prai- 
rie altogether  by  day. 

The  Bos  brachicheros  is  an  animal  in  size  and  weight  equal  to  our 
lighter  cattle,  but  having  greater  strength.  In  the  female,  the 
body  is  covered  with  a  coat  of  thin  red  hair,  which  grows  longer 
along  the  spine,  and  is  there  of  a  reddish-black.  In  the  bull  the 
hair  is  generally  darker.  The  legs,  below  the  knees,  are  of  a  dark 
brown ;  lighter  in  the  female.    The  hoofs  are  longer  and  sharper 


1508  BRACHICnEEOS,  OB  NIABE  :  WILD  ECXL  OF  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA. 


CONCEALING  MEAT. 


211 


than  those  of  our  tame  cattle.  The  tail  is  nearly  bare  to  its  end, 
where  there  is  a  considerable  tuft  of  black  hair  several  inches 
long. 

The  head  is  very  pretty,  and  has  something  of  the  lightness  of 
the  deer's.  The  muzzle  is  black;  ears  long  and  pointed,  and 
fringed  with  beautiful  silky  hair  several  inches  long,  which  adds 
much  to  the  grace  of  the  animal.  The  horns  are  thrown  back- 
ward in  a  graceful  curve,  are  ten  or  twelve  inches  long,  black, 
Hat  at  their  base,  and  rounded  near  the  end.  For  about  five  inch- 
es from  the  face  the  horns  are  corrugated,  the  wrinkles  being  in 
four  distinct  rows,  and  apparently  giving  strength  to  the  horn. 
Where  the  corrugations  cease  the  horn  grows  suddenly  smaller, 
and  round  and  smooth,  terminating  finally  in  a  sharp  point.  This 
smooth  portion  has  a  polish  like  black  ebony. 

The  proportions  of  the  animal  are  fine  and  graceful.  It  is  fleet 
of  foot,  and  has  not  the  clumsiness  of  the  buffalo.  Indeed,  in  ex- 
pression and  general  shape,  it  gives  one  the  idea  of  a  mixture  be- 
tween the  antelope  and  the  common  cow. 

Having  packed  every  thing,  we  finally  made  a  start  for  Sanga- 
tanga  on  the  22d.  My  men  are  loaded  down,  and  groan  at  every 
step.  They  have,  besides  my  skins  and  stuffed  animals,  about  a 
thousand  pounds  of  meat  of  their  own ;  and  it  seems  lucky  that 
our  powder  and  shot  began  to  run  out,  for,  if  we  had  shot  much 
more,  we  should  have  had  to  send  for  re-enforcements  of  men  to 
carry  off  the  spoils.  This  is  the  finest  game  country  I  have  met. 
in  this  part  of  Africa,  and  is  greatly  encouraging  to  a  poor  fellow 
who  like  me  has  been  starving,  and  shooting  scarce  any  thing,  in 
the  wilds  north  of  the  Gaboon. 

My  men  seem  very  jolly,  though  groaning -under  their  burdens, 
and  I  am  glad  to  see  them  happy.  When  we  got  within  three 
miles  of  Sangatanga  they  buried  the  greater  part  of  their  meat  in 
the  forest,  and  begged  me  to  say  nothing  about  it  to  their  people 
or  to  King  Bango,  that  they  might  not  be  robbed  by  the  king 
and  people.  Of  course,  I  readily  promised.  They  described  how 
they  would  go  out  by  night  and  bring  their  meat  to  the  little 
plantation,  of  which  nearly  all  these  people  own  one;  there  it 
would  be  eaten  at  leisure. 

We  reached  King  Bango's  residence  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
23d.  The  men,  who  were  his  slaves,  immediately  surrendered  t(  > 
him  a  great  part  of  what  they  had  brought  in,  whether  meat  or 


212 


AT  KING  BANGO'S. 


ivory ;  and  then,  protesting  that  this  was  all,  were  let  go  about 
their  business,  and  to  tell  their  adventures  to  their  excited  towns- 
men, amid  whose  enthusiastic  acclamations  we  had  entered  the 
town. 

Then  I  was  left  alone  with  the  king,  who  seemed  worse  than 
when  I  left.  He  was  alarmed — feared  to  die ;  and  remarked  that 
it  was  very  singular  that  he  had  been  taken  worse  immediately 
after  my  departure,  and  that,  in  fact,  he  grew  sick  even  on  that 
night  when  I  slept  in  his  house.  I  saw  that  the  old  fellow  thought 
I  had  bewitched  him.  It  would  be  curious  if  even  /  should  be 
really  accused  of  witchcraft  in  this  country.  I  replied  that  I  did 
not  know  what  caused  his  sickness,  but  that  I  also  had  been  ill ; 
and  that  doubtless  the  season  had  something  to  do  with  it,  this 
being  the  cold  month.  He  still  looked  unpleasant ;  and  to  put  a 
stop  to  a  discussion  which  would  never  have  been  settled,  I  told 
him  that  I  was  not  a  wizard,  and  that  I  was  very  hungry  and 
tired. 

Hereupon  he  ordered  one  of  his  wives  to  make  coffee  for  me  ; 
which  was  done  by  building  a  fire  in  a  half  barrel  filled  with  earth 
which  stood  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  By  the  time  my  eyes 
were  nearly  smoked  out  of  my  head  my  coffee  was  ready,  and,  as 
there  were  added  to  it  some  crackers  and  butter,  I  made  quite  a 
meal,  having  eaten  nothing  before  since  breakfast. 

My  house  was  too  far  off  to  reach  it  with  my  specimens  that 
night,  and,  remembering  King  Bango's  rats,  I  staid  with  him 
only  with  great  fear  and  trembling,  carefully  hanging  up  my  an- 
imals. 

I  slept  scarce  any,  but  enjoyed  the  rest  amazingly.  My  whole 
body  was  sore,  and  my  legs  ached  with  real  pains.  This  was  the 
effect  of  so  much  walking.  I  had  not  felt  it  so  much  while  on 
the  way,  but,  now  that  rest  came,  I  could  not  sleep  for  these  pains. 
The  next  two  days  I  did  nothing  but  lie  in  the  sun.  My  men 
sent  word  that  "they,  too,  could  not  walk  as  far  as  my  house  to  get 
their  pay,  so  that  I  am  not  alone  in  my  sufferings.  Meantime 
people  come  in  from  all  the  country  round  to  see  me.  They  say 
they  never  saw  such  a  white  man  before ;  and  the  majority  have 
doubts  about  my  sanity,  which  are  expressed  and  discussed  in  my 
hearing  with  the  greatest  earnestness. 

My  men  came  on  the  27th  to  be  paid.  They  were  nearly  re- 
covered, but  said  they  never  saw  a  man  walk  so  much  as  I  did. 


FETICH  WORSHIP. 


213 


We  parted  with  great  good-feeling.  If  I  ever  want  them  they 
will  be  glad  to  come  with  me ;  and  I  should  be  glad  to  have 
them,  for  they  were  a  very  good  set  of  fellows.  Meantime  I  suf- 
fered a  good  deal  from  inflammation  in  my  legs,  and  was  obliged 
to  lay  up,  so  that  it  was  July  before  I  was  able  to  go  any  where 
beyond  the  village. 

Walking  down  the  village  one  day  I  saw  a  negro  carpenter 
fellow  go  into  his  private  fetich-house,  and  was  lucky  enough  to 
be  able  to  watch  his  motions  without  being  discovered.  He  first 
built  a  little  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  hut,  then  stripped  and  mark- 
ed his  body  with  white  chalk,  making  very  peculiar  and  careful 
stripes  on  one  of  his  arms  and  in  the  centre  of  his  breast.  While 
doing  this,  which  took  some  time,  he  kept  up  a  constant  mum- 
bling of  words  which  I  could  not  understand,  but  which  were 
doubtless  prayers  addressed  to  his  fetich.  Then  the  fire  was  ex- 
tinguished and  the  hut  was  shut.  When  he  came  out  I  laughed 
at  him ;  but  he  took  the  whole  matter  very  seriously,  of  course, 
and  told  me  that  the  spirit  Nitmba,  which  has  its  dwelling  in  the 
ocean,  had  gone  into  his  chest,  and  would  kill  him  if  he  had  not 
exorcised  it  by  the  ceremony  I  saw.  This  spirit  Numba  has  also 
something  to  do  with  the  moon,  but  what  I  could  not  discover. 

On  the  29th  the  king  announced  to  his  faithful  subjects  that 
his  big  fetich  had  informed  him  that  within  a  month  a  slave-ship 
would  come  in  for  a  cargo.  Of  course,  every  body  firmly  believes 
this ;  and  if  by  any  chance  it  should  turn  out  differently,  thej- 
would  yet  believe  the  next  prophecy  which  the  royal  fetich  or 
any  other  shall  make.  I  suppose  the  king  had  a  dream,  and 
thought  his  fetich  spoke. 

I  find  it  difficult  to  get  any  thing  to  eat  here,  as  I  have  no  rum 
and  the  factories  have,  and  rum  is  the  chief  article  of  demand 
among  the  negroes.  In  fact,  I  was  in  such  straits  that  I  was 
obliged  to  ask  one  of  the  factory-people  to  buy  some  food  for  me, 
I  paying  him  in  articles  which  the  natives  use,  but  would  not  buy 
of  me  because  I  had  no  rum  to  give. 

The  king  sent  his  mafouga  to  ask  if  I  would  give  him  a  few 
heads  of  tobacco.  King  Bango  is  not  only  a  great  beggar,  but  a 
great  miser.  He  is  the  richest  negro  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  for, 
besides  his  hundreds  of  slaves  and  his  three  hundred  wives,  he 
has  in  his  store-rooms,  securely  piled  up,  very  considerable  quan- 
tities of  goods,  which  he  delights  to  see  increased,  and  to  which 


214 


A  FETICH  BIRD. 


only  one  person  besides  himself  has  access.  This  is  an  old  wom- 
an, who  was  the  wife  of  his  father,  and  is  now  his  own  wife  by 
right  of  inheritance.  The  slavers  he  has  in  his  power,  as  he  could 
destroy  their  factories  if  they  offend  him,  and  they  would  have 
no  remedy ;  to  them,  therefore,  he  is  very  exacting,  forcing  them 
to  give  him  considerable  quantities  of  muskets,  powder,  and  cal- 
ico. When  I  came,  knowing  the  king's  rapacity,  I  made  haste 
to  tell  him  that  I  did  not  come  to  buy  slaves,  and  that  I  should 
not  have  much  to  give  him.  He,  nevertheless,  begs  all  he  can  of 
me. 

As  I  came  from  seeing  the  king  I  shot  at  a  bird  sitting  upon  a 
tree,  and  missed  it.  I  had  been  taking  quinine,  and  was  nervous. 
But  the  negroes  standing  around  at  once  proclaimed  that  this  was 
a  fetich-bird,  and  therefore  I  could  not  shoot  it. 

I  fired  again,  and  missed  again.  Hereupon  they  grew  triumph- 
ant in  their  declarations,  while  I,  loth  to  let  the  devil  have  so  good 
a  witness,  loaded  again,  took  careful  aim,  and,  to  my  own  satis- 
faction and  their  dismay,  brought  my  bird  down. 

Immediately  they  explained  that  I  was  a  white  man,  and  not 
entirely  amenable  to  fetich  laws,  so  that  I  do  not  suppose  my  shot 
proved  any  thing  to  them  after  all. 

The  grass  has  been  for  some  time  very  dry,  and  by  regular 
custom  the  people  should  ere  now  have  mowed  down  a  broad 
strip  of  it  surrounding  each  house.  This,  for  some  reason,  has 
been  omitted,  and  the  consequence  was  that,  on  the  last  of  June, 
a  high  wind  blowing  from  the  sea,  some  grass  accidentally  caught 
fire  near  the  shore,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole  village 
was  in  flames,  and  burned  to  the  ground.  I  never  heard  such 
screams  and  lamentations,  though  the  loss  was  trifling,  most  of  the 
natives  keeping  any  valuables  they  may  have  out  at  their  planta- 
tion-houses, where  they  are  safe  from  the  attacks  of  their  most 
feared  enemy,  the  men-of-war,  who,  if  they  come,  might  throw  a 
few  shells  into  the  town,  and  burn  every  thing  in  short  order. 

During  my  stay  in  the  village,  as  I  was  one  day  out  shooting 
birds  in  a  grove  not  far  from  my  house,  I  saw  a  procession  of 
slaves  coming  from  one  of  the  barracoons  toward  the  farther  end 
of  my  grove.  As  they  came  nearer  I  saw  that  two  gangs  of  six 
slaves  each,  all  chained  about  the  neck,  were  carrying  a  burden 
between  them,  which  I  presently  knew  to  be  the  corpse  of  anoth- 
er slave.    They  bore  it  to  the  edge  of  the  grove,  about  300  yards 


A  FUNERAL  FROM  THE  BARRACOONS. 


215 


trom  my  house,  and  there  throwing  it  down  on  the  bare  ground, 
leturned  to  their  prison,  accompanied  by  the  overseer,  who,  with 
his  whip,  had  marched  behind  them  hither. 

"  Here,  then,  is  the  '  burying-ground'  of  the  barracoons,"  I  said 
to  myself,  sadly,  thinking,  I  confess,  of  the  poor  fellow  who  had 
been  dragged  away  from  his  home  and  friends,  to  die  here  and 
be  thrown  out  as  food  for  the  vultures,  who,  even  as  I  stood  in 
thought,  began  already  to  darken  the  air  above  my  head,  and 
were  presently  heard  fighting  over  the  remains. 

The  grove,  which  was,  in  fact,  but  an  African  aceldama,  was 
beautiful  to  view  from  my  house,  and  I  had  often  resolved  to  ex- 
plore it,  or  rest  in  the  shade  of  its  dark-foliaged  trees.  It  seemed 
a  ghastly  place  enough  now,  as  I  approached  it  to  see  more  close- 
ly the  work  of  the  disgusting  vultures.  They  fled  when  they 
saw  me,  but  only  a  little  way,  sitting  upon  the  lower  branches  of 
the  surrounding  trees,  watching  me  with  eyes  askance,  as  though 
fearful  I  would  rob  them  of  their  prey. 

As  I  walked  toward  the  corpse  I  felt  something  crack  under 
my  feet,  and,  looking  down,  saw  that  I  was  already  in  the  midst 
of  the  field  of  skulls.  I  had  inadvertently  stepped  into  the  skel- 
eton of  some  poor  creature  who  had  been  thrown  here  long- 
enough  ago  for  the  birds  and  ants  to  pick  his  bones  clean,  and 
the  rains  to  bleach  them.  I  think  there  must  have  been  a  thou- 
sand such  skeletons  lying  within  my  sight.  The  place  had  been 
used  for  many  years,  and  the  mortality  in  the  barracoons  is  some- 
times frightful.  Here  they  were  thrown,  and  here  the  vultures 
found  their  daily  carrion.  The  grass  had  just  been  burned,  and 
the  white  bones,  scattered  every  where,  gave  the  ground  a  sin- 
gular, and,  when  the  cause  was  known,  a  frightful  appearance. 
Penetrating  a  little  farther  into  the  brush,  I  found  several  great 
piles  of  bones.  Here  was  the  place  where,  when  years  ago  Cape 
Lopez  was  one  of  the  great  slave-markets  on  the  west  coast,  and 
barracoons  were  more  numerous  than  now,  the  poor  dead  were 
thrown  one  upon  another,  till  even  the  mouldering  bones  re- 
mained in  high  piles,  as  monuments  of  the  nefarious  traffic. 

The  free  African  looks  on  these  places  with  as  much  loathing 
and  disgust  as  the  white  traveler.  To  the  reader  of  this  there 
may  seem  little  real  difference  in  condition  between  the  African 
slave  and  free,  but  in  reality  the  difference  is  quite  as  great  there 
as  it  is  in  other  and  more  civilized  slaveholding  nations.  Even 


216 


A  PLEASURE  TRIP. 


in  this  rude  Cape  Lopez  country  to  be  born  of  a  slave  mother  is 
a  disgrace,  and  debars  the  unfortunate  from  much  of  the  respect 
and  authority  which  his  daily  companions  enjoy,  and  this  though 
the  child  so  born  is  in  reality  free,  as  it  follows  the  condition  of 
the  father.  The  slave,  in  Africa,  does  not  speak  for  himself.  If 
he  is  in  trouble,  if  there  is  an  " adultery  palaver,"  a  "stealing  pa- 
laver," or  "trading  palaver,"  his  master  must  speak  for  him,  and 
clear  him  if  possible.  And  as  for  burial,  the  funeral  of  a  free 
Oroungou  man  is  a  very  ceremonious  affair,  and  he  is  laid  away  on 
the  ground  with  the  utmost  care,  and  in  a  very  specially  prepared 
place.  No  worse  insult  could  be  offered  to  him  than  to  suppose 
that  his  remains  would  rest  in  such  a  spot  as  this  horrible  barra- 
coons  burying-ground. 

Indeed,  the  Oroungou  cemetery,  where  the  Cape  Lopez  people 
are  laid  away  to  rest,  is  a  place  very  well  worth  a  visit.  I  passed 
it  on  my  way  down  to  the  extreme  sandy  point  of  the  cape, 
where  King  Bango's  people  fish  in  the  dry  season,  and  whither  I 
went  to  see  their  operations. 

My  old  hunting-friend  Fasiko  got  together  a  party  of  about 
forty  men  to  accompany  me  on  a  visit  to  Fetich  Point,  the  Fe- 
tich Eiver,  and  the  end  of  Cape  Lopez,  the  bearings  of  which 
places  from  Sangatanga  the  reader  will  find  easily  on  the  map. 
"We  were  to  travel  through  a  barren  country,  and  the  women, 
therefore,  prepared  for  us  a  great  quantity  of  farina  (powdered 
manioc),  baskets  of  ground-nuts,  and  sweet  potatoes,  and  bunches 
of  plantains.  Fasiko  got  together  a  lot  of  mats  to  sleep  on,  and 
brass  kettles  to  cook  in,  and  the  men  were  laden  with  salt  to 
salt  the  fish  which  they  were  to  catch,  and  with  the  large  copper 
dishes  called  neptunes,  in  which  they  were  to  boil  down  salt  wa- 
ter to  get  other  supplies  of  salt,  which  is  made  in  considerable 
quantities  here  in  the  dry  season. 

It  was  a  very  jolly  party,  for  Cape  Lopez  is  the  Cape  May  or 
Nahant  of  Sangatanga  and  the  dry  season  answers  to  our  July, 
when  every  body  that  is  any  body  is  supposed  to  be  out  of  town 
and  "  down  at  the  sea-side ;"  with  this  difference,  however,  that  the 
Sangatangians,  having  no  civilized  amusements,  and  in  fact  little 
amusement  of  any  kind,  make  a  good  thing  of  their  "  summer  out 
of  town"  by  catching,  salting,  drying,  and  smoking  great  quanti- 
ties of  good  fish,  which  abound  about  Cape  Lopez,  So  the  worn* 
en  carried  fish-baskets  instead  of  trunks,  and  the  men  were  armed 


OROTJNGOU  BTJRYING-GROUND.  217 

4 

with  fish-nets — made  by  them  of  the  fibre  of  a  vine — and  guns. 
For  leopards  lurk  in  the  jungle  on  the  south  side  of  the  cape;  the 
boa  hangs  from  the  trees  waiting  for  its  prey ;  and  if  you  get  up 
early,  as  every  body  at  a  watering-place  should,  you  may  see 
huge  elephants  trotting  down  along  the  beach  and  cooling  their 
tender  toes  in  the  surf. 

Fetich  Point  was  our  first  place  of  call.  We  set  out  across  the 
wide  bay  one  fine,  clear,  bright  morning,  in  four  crowded  canoes. 
We  reached  the  point  a  little  before  dark,  and  the  men,  who  seem- 
ed alive  and  jolly  as  could  be,  at  once  cast  their  net  in  a  way  not 
materially  different  from  our  hand-nets,  and  made  a  great  haul  of 
fish. 

Fetich  Eiver  is  one  of  the  numerous  mouths  which  form  the 
delta  of  the  Nazareth  ;  which  important  stream,  striking  the  low 
country  about  thirty  miles  back,  is  lost  and  divided  into  numerous 
little  streams,  which  fall  into  the  bay  through  a  tangled,  dreary, 
and  poisonous  tract  of  mangrove  swamp  where  no  one  fives,  and 
where  I  doubt  if  even  beasts,  except  serpents,  are  to  be  found. 
This  tract  of  swamp,  interspersed  with  occasional  marshes  of  stand- 
ing water,  extends  for  many  miles  along  here,  and  is,  in  its  pres- 
ent state,  entirely  useless,  and  an  injury  to  the  otherwise  pleasant 
coast-line. 

The  fish  caught,  we  landed,  lighted  fires,  and,  having  eaten  our 
suppers,  prepared  for  a  night's  rest  by  spreading  mats  upon  the 
sand. 

Near  Fetich  Point  is  the  Oroungou  burying-ground,  and  this  I 
went  to  visit  the  following  morning.  It  lay  about  a  mile  from 
our  camp  toward  Sangatanga,  from  which  it  was  distant  about 
half  a  day's  pull  in  a  canoe.  It  is  in  a  grove  of  noble  trees,  many 
of  them  of  magnificent  size  and  shape.  The  natives  hold  thi^ 
place  in  great  reverence,  and  refused  at  first  to  go  with  me  on  my 
contemplated  visit,  even  desiring  that  I  should  not  go.  I  explain- 
ed to  them  that  I  did  not  go  to  laugh  at  their  dead,  but  rather  to 
pay  them  honor.  But  it  was  only  by  the  promise  of  a  large  re- 
ward that  I  at  last  persuaded  Niamkala,  who  was  of  our  party, 
to  accompany  me.  The  negroes  visit  the  place  only  on  funeral 
errands,  and  hold  it  in  the  greatest  awe,  conceiving  that  here  the 
spirits  of  their  ancestors  do  wander  about,  and  that  these  are  not 
lightly  to  be  disturbed.  I  am  quite  sure  that  treasure  to  any 
amount  might  be  left  here  exposed  in  perfect  safety. 


218  MODE  OF  OROUNGOU  BURIAL. 

The  grove  stands  by  the  sea-shore.  It  is  entirely  cleared  of 
underbrush,  and,  as  the  wind  sighs  through  the  dense  foliage  of 
the  trees  and  whispers  in  the  darkened,  somewhat  gloomy  grove, 
it  is  an  awful  place,  even  to  an  impressible  white  man.  Niam- 
kala  stood  in  silence  by  the  strand  while  I  entered  the  domains 
i  >f  the  Oroungou  dead. 

They  are  not  put  below  the  surface.  They  lie  about  beneath 
the  trees  in  huge  wooden  coffins,  some  of  which,  by  their  new 
look,  betokened  recent  arrivals ;  but  by  far  the  greater  number 
were  crumbling  away.  Here  was  a  coffin  falling  to  pieces,  and 
disclosing  a  grinning  skeleton  within.  On  the  other  side  were 
skeletons,  already  without  covers,  which  lay  in  dust  beside  them. 
Every  where  were  bleached  bones  and  mouldering  remains.  It 
was  curious  to  see  the  brass  anklets  and  bracelets  in  which  some 
<  )roungou  maiden  had  been  buried  still  surrounding  her  whiten- 
ed bones,  and  to  note  the  remains  of  goods  which  had  been  laid 
into  the  same  coffin  with  some  wealthy  fellow,  now  mouldering  to 
dust  at  his  side.  In  some  places  there  remained  only  little  heaps 
of  shapeless  dust,  from  which  some  copper,  or  iron,  or  ivory  orna- 
ment gleamed  out  to  prove  that  here,  too,  once  lay  a  corpse. 

Passing  in  to  a  yet  more  sombre  gloom,  I  came  at  last  to  the 
grave  of  old  King  Pass-all,  the  brother  of  the  present  majesty. 
The  coffin  lay  on  the  ground,  and  was  surrounded  on  every  side 
with  great  chests,  which  contained  the  property  of  his  deceased 
majesty.  Among  these  chests  and  on  top  of  them  were  piled  huge 
earthenware  jugs,  glasses,  mugs,  plates,  iron  pots  and  bars,  brass 
and  copper  rings,  and  other  precious  things  which  this  old  Pass- 
all  had  determined  to  carry  at  last  to  the  grave  with  him.  And. 
also,  there  lay  around  numerous  skeletons  of  the  poor  slaves  who 
were,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred,  killed  when  the  king  died, 
that  his  ebony  kingship  might  not  pass  into  the  other  world  with- 
out due  attendance. 

It  was  a  grim  sight,  and  one  which  filled  me  with  a  sadder  awe 
than  even  the  disgusting  barracoons  ground. 

Between  Fetich  Point  and  the  river  lay  formerly  the  village  of 
the  Cape  Lopez  people ;  but  now  the  king  and  all  his  subjects 
have  moved  to  Sangatanga,  and  this  whole  district  is  deserted,  ex- 
cept in  the  fishing  season. 

The  land-breeze  blowing  when  I  returned,  we  started  for  the 
sandy  point  of  the  cape.    It  is  a  curious  beach,  very  low,  and  so 


AN  AFRICAN  WATERING-PLACE. 


219 


covered  with  a  short  scrub  which  hides  a  part  of  the  view,  while 
the  sand  ahead  is  undistinguishable  at  a  distance  from  the  water, 
which  it  barely  rises  above,  that  I  was  repeatedly  disappointed ; 
thinking  we  had  come  to  the  end,  when  in  fact  we  had  still  be- 
fore us  a  long,  narrow  sand-spit.  Finally  we  reached  the  extreme 
end,  and  landed  in  the  smooth  water  on  the  inside  of  the  spit  in  a 
kind  of  harbor. 

The  point  gains  continually  upon  the  sea,  and  every  year  a  lit- 
tle more  sand  appears  above  the  water ;  while  the  line  of  short 
shrubs,  which  acts  as  a  kind  of  dam  or  breakwater,  is  extended, 
and  holds  the  new  land  against  old  Neptune's  attacks. 

Among  these  shrubs  we  built  our  camp ;  and  here,  for  some 
days,  we  had  a  very  lively  time.  The  women  were  all  day  on 
the  shore  making  salt ;  and  the  poor  children  had  hard  work  too, 
for  their  share  was  to  gather  brushwood  for  the  fires.  Some  of 
the  men  took  fish  in  their  nets;  and  others  split  them,  cleaned, 
salted,  dried,  and  smoked  them,  which  done,  they  were  put  away 
in  baskets.  The  salt,  too,  when  made,  was  packed  securely  in 
baskets,  and  placed  near  the  fire  to  keep  it  dry. 

Others  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  turn  turtles.  These 
animals  come  on  the  beach  to  lay  their  eggs  in  the  sand,  where 
the  sun  hatches  them  out.  The  negroes  lie  in  wait  for  them  in 
parties,  and  often  turn  twenty  in  a  morning.  Two  or  three  men 
rush  upon  an  un wieldly  turtle,  and,  with  one  jerk,  roll  it  over  on 
its  back,  where  it  lies,  vainly  struggling  to  recover  its  legs,  until 
the  turning  is  done,  when  all  hands  begin  to  kill  and  clean.  The 
meat  is  smoked. 

As  for  myself,  I  had  brought  along  an  immense  shark-hook 
and  a  stout  rope,  and  amused  myself  by  hooking  up  occasionally 
one  of  the  vast  numbers  of  sharks  which  swarm  in  the  waters 
about  the  cape,  and  are  often  almost  washed  upon  the  beach  by 
the  waves.  I  never  saw  such  immense  numbers  of  sharks  as  are 
found  here.  The  Chinese,  who  eat  shark-fins,  would  find  here 
enough  to  glut  the  Canton  market  for  a  season. 

But  there  was  hunting  too.  South  of  the  cape  was  a  dense  for- 
est, in  which  might  be  found  all  the  animals  which  live  in  an 
African  wood.  We  saw  elephants  on  the  beach,  but  shot  none. 
I  shot  great  numbers  of  sea-fowl,  which  fly  about  here  in  such 
flocks  as  almost  darken  the  air.  And  returning  one  evening  from 
the  forest,  whither  Aboko,  Niamkala,  and  I  had  been  on  a  fruit- 


220 


KILLING  A  LEOPAED. 


less  hunt,  we  fell  in  with  larger  game.  Passing  along  the  edge 
of  the  forest,  we  were  suddenly  startled  by  a  deep  growl,  and, 
looking  quickly  about,  perceived  an  immense  male  leopard  couch- 
ing for  a  spring  into  our  party.  Fortunately  we  were  loaded  with 
ball,  and  in  a  flash  we  all  three  fired  into  the  beast.  It  was  al- 
ready upon  the  spring,  and  our  shot  met  it  as  it  rose.  It  fell, 
dead  and  quivering,  within  a  foot  of  Aboko,  who  may  be  said  to 
have  had  a  very  narrow  escape.  It  was  an  immense  animal ;  and 
its  skin,  which  I  preserved  as  a  trophy,  is  most  beautifully  shaded 
and  spotted.  In  fact,  there  is  scarcely  a  more  beautiful  animal  in 
the  world  than  the  African  leopard. 

On  my  return  to  Cape  Lopez,  I  sailed  back  with  my  specimens 
to  the  Gaboon,  whither  I  was  glad  to  return  once  more  to  take  a 
little  civilized  comfort.  I  remained  several  months  near  the  Ga- 
boon, exploring  the  course  of  that  river  and  the  country  about 
its  borders,  and  finally  set  off  on  my  longest  and  most  adventur- 
ous journey. 


9 


THE  CAMMA  COAST. 


221 


CHAPTEE  XI1T. 

The  "Camma  Country." — Coast. — Surf. — Trade. — The  Caroline. — A  mixed  Crew. 
— A  dusky  Bride. — A  Squall. — On  her  Beam-ends. — Native  Traders. — Kanpano. 
— Sangala  Troubles. — Nearly  a  Fight. — The  City  of  Washington. — Attempt  at  As- 
sassination.— The  Camma  People. — Aniambia. — Biver  Navigation. — Men  refuse 
to  advance. — King  Olenga-Yombi. — A  Dance. — Fetich-houses. — Spirit  Wor- 
ship.— A  mad  Bull. — Cheating  the  King. — Live  Gorilla  brought  in. — How  caught 
— Ferocity  of  the  Animal. — Joe  escapes. — Is  recaptured. — Habits  and  Peculiari- 
ties of  Joe. — Hippopotamus-shooting. — Night-hunting. — Hippopotamus  Meat.— 
Habits  of  the  Animal. — Hide. — Use  of  the  Tusks. — They  capsize  Boats. — Peace 
able  if  not  attacked. — Voice. — Combative. — Adventures  with  Hippopotami. 

During  a  somewhat  protracted  stay  at  the  Gaboon,  I  prepared 
myself  thoroughly  for  my  next  and  most  important  tour.  I  had 
long  been  anxious  to  explore  thoroughly  the  tract  known  as  the 
Camma  country ;  a  region,  like  those  I  had  just  visited,  totally  un- 
known to  white  men,  but  much  more  interesting  and  important — 
to  judge  it  by  its  products — than  the  others,  as  it  is  also  more  ex- 
tensive, and  watered  by  larger  streams. 

The  "  Camma  country"  begins  to  the  south  of  Cape  Lopez  in 
lat.  0°  40'  S.,  and  extends  to  the  southward  as  far  as  the  Eiver 
Camma,  in  lat.  1°  50'  S.,  and  to  the  east  for  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  coast.  It  is  a  well-watered  region ;  the  Mexias,  and 
some  minor  branches  of  the  great  Ogobay  Eiver,  running  into  the 
sea  in  its  northern  bounds,  while  the  Fernand  Vaz,  the  Camma, 
and  the  Setti  have  their  mouths  farther  down,  at  various  points 
of  the  Camma  coast. 

The  coast-line  is  generally  low  and  swampy;  a  heavy  surf 
makes  landing  difficult,  except  at  a  few  points  protected  by  the 
shape  of  the  land,  and  the  shore,  viewed  from  the  sea,  has  so  mo- 
notonous an  aspect  that  seamen  find  it  difficult  to  recognize  their 
whereabouts,  even  after  considerable  experience  of  the  coast. 
The  mouths  of  the  rivers,  however,  are  readily  recognized  by  the 
great  streams  of  fresh  water  which  they  send  with  considerable 
force  into  the  sea,  discoloring  it  for  some  distance  from  shore,  as 
also  by  the  breakers  on  the  bars  which  line  these  mouths. 

The  surf  on  the  coast  is  much  worse  during  the  dry  season,  or 


222 


NATIVE  SEAMANSHIP. 


from  June  to  September.  During  the  rains  landing  is  mucn 
easier ;  but  even  then  one  needs  skillful  natives  and  the  best  ca- 
noes. For  this  reason  the  trade  along  this  part  of  the  coast  is  not 
very  brisk ;  vessels  touch  but  seldom ;  and  I  found  that  I  was 
even  obliged  to  purchase  a  little  vessel  to  carry  me  from  the  Ga- 
boon to  the  scene  of  my  first  (intended)  settlement.  This  was  a 
cutter,  open  or  undecked,  of  about  seven  tons  burden.  Her  I  in- 
tended to  use  in  case  it  should  be  desirable  to  return  at  any  time 
when  no  ship  offered. 

I  knew  by  experience  that  I  should  meet  with  more  than  usua^ 
difficulties  in  my  attempts  to  penetrate  into  the  interior.  The 
natives  here  had  never  heard  of  me ;  they  had  had  so  little  in- 
tercourse with  whites  that  they  were  even  more  jealous  than 
those  to  the  north ;  and  I  expected  nothing  less  than  to  have,  in 
the  first  place,  to  win  their  confidence  and  respect  by  living  among 
them  near  the  coast  for  a  considerable  time.  For  this  reason  I 
made  preparations  for  an  absence  of  from  fourteen  to  twentv 
months  from  the  Gaboon. 

I  loaded  the  Caroline,  a  schooner  of  forty-five  tons,  with  two 
hogsheads  of  tobacco,  several  large  bales  of  prints,  a  great  quan- 
tity of  plates,  jugs,  and  other  earthenware  vessels;  a  hundred 
muskets,  together  with  powder ;  beads,  swords,  brass  kettles,  nep- 
tunes,  etc.,  and  a  considerable  stock  of  provisions  for  myself. 

When  all  was  ready  I  went  aboard — and  should  have  been  glad 
to  have  come  immediately  ashore  again.  My  captain  was  a  Port- 
uguese negro,  Cornillo  by  name.  The  crew,  who  numbered  no 
less  than  seven,  were  Mpongwe,  Mbinga,  and  Croomen,  no  more 
than  two  of  whom  could  understand  each  other,  and  not  a  soul 
could  understand  the  captain.  To  add  a  little  more  to  this  con- 
fusion of  tongues,  I  brought  aboard  two  Mpongwe  men  and  their 
wives,  who  were  to  serve  me  as  head-men,  interpreters,  and  for 
other  purposes  in  my  new  trading  location. 

We  got  aboard  at  daylight,  and  by  dint  of  steady  shouting  and 
a  great  deal  of  standing  around,  with  a  little  work  now  and  then, 
got  the  anchor  up  just  at  dusk.  The  captain  did  not  much  like 
that  we  should  leave  port  on  Friday,  but  I  told  him  I  would  take 
the  responsibility.  No  sooner  had  we  got  out  into  the  swell  than 
every  man  (and  woman)  aboard  except  the  captain  got  sea-sick. 
The  cook  was  unable  to  make  breakfast  next  morning,  the  men 
were  lying  about  looking  like  dying  fish,  and  in  the  canoe  which 


A  TOUGH  TIME. 


223 


we  had  on  deck,  Oyaya,  one  of  my  Mpongwe  men,  sea-sick  him- 
self, was  vainly  striving  to  comfort  his  newly-married  wife,  who 
was  more  sea-sick  than  he.  It  was  good  fun  to  look  at  the  poor 
fellow,  who  was  really  in  love  with  his  spouse,  a  young  woman 
of  twenty,  who,  to  my  knowledge,  had  already  been  married  three 
times,  and  must  have  been  gratified  at  the  way  she  swayed  poor 
Oyaya. 

We  hoped  to  get  down  to  the  Camma  region  in  five  days.  But 
on  the  5th,  our  sailing-day,  and  for  three  successive  days  there- 
after, we  had  light  head  winds  and  a  head  current,  and  on  Feb- 
ruary 10th  we  were  caught  in  such  a  storm  as  I  hope  never  to 
see  at  sea  again. 

The  steering  had  gone  on  so  badly  when  the  captain  was  below 
that  I  was  forced  to  stand  watch.  I  was  sleeping  soundly,  hav- 
ing steered  four  hours,  and  had  been  perhaps  an  hour  in  my^ 
berth,  when  I  was  awakened  by  the  captain's  voice  giving  orders 
to  take  down  the  mainsail.  I  jumped  on  deck  immediately, 
knowing  there  must  be  at  least  a  heavy  squall  coming.  But  no 
sooner  did  I  cast  my  eye  to  leeward  than  I  saw  how  imminent 
the  danger  was.  This  coast  is  troubled  by  frequent  squalls  of 
wind,  lasting,  in  general,  but  a  short  time,  but  of  terrible  violence,* 
and  followed  by  torrents  of  rain.  Such  a  squall  was  now  coming 
up.  The  black  clouds  which  had  gathered  about  the  horizon 
were  becoming  lurid  white  with  startling  quickness.  It  seemed 
almost  as  though  they  were  lit  up  by  lightning.  This  was  the 
wind,  which  would  now  in  a  moment  be  upon  us.  As  yet,  all 
was  still. 

I  turned  to  see  if  the  mainsail  was  down,  but  found  nothing 
done  to  meet  the  squall.  The  captain  was  shouting  from  the 
wheel,  the  men  were  running  about,  half  scared  to  death,  also 
shouting,  and  in  the  pitchy  darkness  (for  I  could  not  actually  see 
my  hands  when  held  close  before  my  eyes)  no  one  could  find  the 
halliards.  In  the  midst  of  our  trouble  the  wind  came  roaring 
down.  I  seized  a  knife,  determined  to  cut  every  thing  away ;  but 
just  then  somebody  let  go  the  halliards,  and,  in  the  nick  of  time, 
the  mainsail  came  half  way  down.  Just  then  the  squall  broke 
upon  us  with  the  roar  and  force  of  a  tornado.  The  jibs  flew 
away  in  rags  in  a  moment.  The  vessel  sank  over  on  her  beam- 
ends.  The  water  rushed  on  to  her  decks,  and  the  men  sung  out 
that  we  were  drowning,  as,  in  fact,  we  should  have  been  in  a  very 


224  NEGRO  SPECULATORS. 

few  minutes.  Happily  the  wind  shifted  a  little,  and  by  the  light 
of  some  very  vivid  lightning  we  seized  on  the  mainsail  and 
pulled  it  down,  holding  it  so  that  the  wind  should  not  catch  it 
again. 

So  she  righted,  and  in  about  twenty  minutes  the  squall  died 
off,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  rain  so  driving,  pouring  down  in 
such  torrents,  that  we  could  get  no  protection  from  it  even  below. 

The  next  morning  we  had  no  jibs,  and  our  other  sails  were  se- 
verely damaged.  This  did  not  help  us  along  very  fast.  It  was 
not  till  the  13th  that  we  made  the  land ;  but  now  no  one  aboard 
knew  where  we  were ;  not  even  our  captain,  who  brings  up  every 
day  an  old  quadrant,  about  the  use  of  which  he  knows  as  much 
as  a  cow  does  about  a  musket.  At  last  a  canoe  came  off  to  ask 
me  to  come  ashore  to  start  a  factory,  as  they  had  plenty  of  ivory 
and  palm-oil  and  other  trade.  If  I  had  gone  ashore  I  should 
probably  have  found  not  a  gallon  of  oil,  not  the  smallest  tusk  of 
ivory.  The  great  anxiety  of  every  one  of  these  negroes  is  for  a 
factory,  just  as  a  "Western  town -builder's  chief  desire  is  for  a  rail- 
road. They  lie,  and  beg,  and  almost  force  a  white  man  ashore, 
thinking  themselves  safe  if  they  can  induce  him  to  set  up  a  little 
♦factory  and  trust  them  with  some  goods;  for  they  do  not,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing,  intend  to  pay  him. 

However,  our  speculative  friend  in  the  canoe  informed  us  we 
were  off  Cape  St.  Catherine,  and  therefore  a  good  many  miles 
south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Fernand  Vaz  ;  so  we  turned  about  to 
retrace  our  steps.  Sailing  close  in  shore,  at  every  village  we  pass- 
ed we  were  hailed  by  canoes  full  of  negroes  begging  us  to  start 
a  factory  in  their  place.  In  some  villages  we  could  even  see  the 
large  house,  looking  very  fine  from  the  sea,  but  doubtless  poor 
enough  seen  close  to,  which  was  intended  for  the  great  factory 
which  should  make  every  body  rich.  This  house  was  generally 
surrounded  by  huts,  in  which  lived  the  natives  waiting  for  their 
commercial  millennium,  which,  alas,  never  comes.  I  paid  no  at- 
tention to  their  entreaties,  and  was  even  firm  enough,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  every  body,  to  decline  a  magnificent  offer  of  two  slaves 
made  by  the  natives  of  Aniambia,  or  Big  Camma,  who  came  off 
with  a  message  from  their  king. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Fernand  Taz,  and  our 
fame  and  the  disappointment  of  the  natives  had  gone  before  us. 
It  had  been  determined  in  the  Gaboon  that  I  should  set  up  my 


MISTAKEN  FOR  A  SLAVEH.  225 

factory  in  the  town  of  King  Eanpano,  who  was  a  friend  of  Will 
Glass,  one  of  my  Gaboon  allies.  As  the  Caroline  passed  Ean- 
pano's  sea- village,  of  course  a  canoe  came  off  to  beg  me  to  land. 
But  they  evidently  had  little  hope ;  and  their  surprise  was  ex- 
travagant when  I  assented,  and  told  them  I  had  come  on  purpose 
to  set  up  a  factory  with  them. 

I  never  saw  men  so  anxious  for  trade  as  these  wild  Africans-' 
are.  They  remind  me  of  what  is  said  of  Western  land  specula 
tors ;  and  really  they  have  quite  as  much  enterprise  and  quite  as 
sanguine  a  temperament  as  those  worthies. 

Banpano's  men  wanted  much  to  hug  me,  and  were  so  extrava- 
gant in  their  joy  that  I  had  to  order  them  to  keep  their  hands  off'. 
I  sent  one  of  my  men  in  their  boat  to  bear  a  message  to  the  king, 
and  took  one  of  theirs  for  a  pilot,  being  now  anxious  to  get  across 
the  intricate  bar  and  fairly  into  the  river  before  dark.  As  we 
sailed  along  into  the  river,  boats  shot  out  to  meet  us  belonging  to 
different  villages,  and  presently  I  had  a  crowd  alongside  anxious 
to  board  us,  and  sufficient  almost  to  sink  us.  They  took  me  for 
a  slaver  at  first,  and  immediately  called  out  their  names  in  Portu- 
guese. One  was  Don  Miguel,  another  Don  Pedro,  another  Don 
Francisco.  They  began  to  jabber  away  in  Portuguese,  which  I 
do  not  understand,  so  I  set  my  captain  at  them,  who  had  some 
difficulty  in  persuading  them  that  I  came  on  no  such  errand. 
Then  they  insisted  that  I  should  set  up  my  factory  in  their  place. 
They  belonged  to  Elinde,  a  town  just  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fer- 
nan  Yaz,  whose  king  is  named  Sangala.  They  praised  the  great- 
ness and  power  of  Sangala,  and  decried  poor  Eanpano,  until  I  had 
to  order  all  hands  ashore  for  the  night,  being  anxious  to  get  a 
good  quiet  sleep  to  prepare  for  to-morrow. 

From  Cape  St.  Catherine  to  the  Fernand  Vaz  is  about  forty-five 
miles,  reckoning  in  the  windings  of  the  shore.  The  whole  coast 
along  here  is  low,  covered  with  prairies,  wooded  here  and  there. 
The  landscape  has  a  great' sameness,  and  it  is  difficult  to  know 
the  land.  The  shore  is  all  along  defended  by  breakers,  which 
become  very  formidable  in  the  dry  season. 

During  the  night  a  fellow,  named  Nchouga  came  off  to  see  me. 
He  was  brother  to  that  King  of  Cape  Lopez  of  whom  I  have  be- 
fore given  some  account.  The  king  falling  sick,  accused  this 
Nchouga  of  bewitching  him ;  whereupon  the  latter,  to  save  his  life, 
fled  the  country  and  came  down  to  get  protection  from  Sangala, 

P 


226 


PALAVER  AT  ELIND& 


his  father-in-law.  This  is  one  of  the  uses  of  fathers-in-law  in  this 
country. 

Nchouga  now  came  off  to  tell  me  that  Sangala  was  master  of 
all  the  river,  and  that  he  would  not  let  me  go  up  to  Ranpano's. 
who  was  only  a  vassal  of  the  great  Sangala.  Therefore  he  ad- 
vised me  as  a  friend  to  go  ashore  at  Elinde.  Fortunately  I  knew 
Mr.  Nchouga. 

Next  morning  (14th)  Sangala  sent  off  a  boat  for  me.  I  took  two 
interpreters,  and,  on  my  arrival  in  Elinde,  which  is  about  two  miles 
from  the  river's  mouth,  was  conducted  to  the  best  house.  Hither 
came  Sangala  presently,  drunk,  and  attended  by  a  great  crowd  of 
eager  subjects.  He  grew  very  angry  when  I  stated  my  intention 
of  passing  up  the  river  and  going  into  the  interior ;  declared  I 
should  not ;  he  was  the  big  king  there,  and  I  must  settle  in  his 
town. 

We  had  some  sharp  words,  and  I  explained  to  his  majesty  that 
I  was  an  old  African,  and  saw  through  all  his  lies.  Then  he  said 
he  would  not  make  any  palaver  if  I  would  have  a  factory  in  his 
town  too. 

I  refused,  but  offered  to  dash  him  (give  him  some  presents). 

He  refused  this  offer.  And  now,  Ranpano  having  come,  and 
assuring  me  that  I  should  be  backed  up,  I  told  Sangala  I  should 
force  my  way  up. 

All  this  time  it  was  pouring  down  rain.  "When  the  talk  end- 
ed Eanpano  took  me  in  his  canoe  to  his  river-village,  a  town 
which  the  people  had  but  just  started,  their  real  town  being  on 
the  sea.  ,  Thither  (to  the  sea-town)  we  went  next  day.  I  found 
it  a  very  substantial  place  for  an  African  town,  having  some  good 
houses,  and  looking  much  like  a  Mpongwe  village.  But  I  saw 
that  my  goods  could  not  be  brought  hither  without  great  trouble, 
nor  my  specimens  shipped  through  the  surf  without  great  danger, 
and  so  told  Ranpano  I  must  live  on  the  river;  whereupon  he 
gave  me  at  once  as  much  land  as  I  wanted,  and  I  am  to  have 
a  house  built  for  myself. 

Meantime  the  excitement  had  spread  over  the  country,  and 
all  Ranpano's  friends  gathered  to  help  fight  Sangala.  It  was 
really  a  droll  but  exciting  scene  to  see  canoe  after  canoe  come  in, 
loaded  with  armed  men,  drums  beating,  and  all  hands  shouting 
and  waving  swords,  guns,  and  spears.  All  were  prepared  to  as- 
sist Ranpano's  white  man,  and  all  were  anxious  to  bum  and  plun- 


READY  FOR  BATTLE. 


227 


der  Elinde.  King  Kitimbo,  who  has  a  factory  in  his  own  town, 
kept  by  a  Mpongwe  fellow,  and  belonging  to  a  New  York  house, 
had  two  canoes  and  fifty  men.  King  Mombo,  from  Sanguibui- 
ri,  had  also  two  canoes ;  in  short,  we  had  in  all  no  less  than 
twenty  big  canoes,  and  could  muster,  on  the  morning  of  the  17th, 
about  three  hundred  men,  most  of  whom  were  drunk  on  mimbo 
wine,  and  as  noisy  and  as  ready  for  fight  as  drunkenness  will 
make  an  African. 

Drums  were  beat,  and  songs  sung,  and  guns  fired,  as  we  pad- 
dled down  the  river ;  all  hands  had  their  faces  painted  white — 
which  is  a  sign  of  war — and  were  covered  with  fetiches,  greegrees, 
and  other  amulets.  The  white  paint  had  been  blessed,  and  was 
also  a  sovereign  protection  against  danger.  One  who  did  not 
know  the  genuine  and  never-failing  cowardice  of  the  Africans, 
would  have  supposed  these  terrible  fellows  bent  upon  the  most 
bloody  of  raids.  I  was  not  disappointed  when,  sighting  Sangala's 
town,  they  pushed  over  to  the  other  shore  out  of  the  way,  and 
took  care  to  keep  the  Caroline  between  the  enemy  and  them- 
selves. 

We  found  that  Sangala  had  also  gathered  his  friends,  and  had 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  ready  for  fight.  These  fellows 
were  painted  more  outrageously  than  my  side,  having  red  as  well 
as  white  applied  in  broad  stripes.  They  looked  like  so  many 
devils,  shouting  and  firing  off  guns  —  each  side  knowing  the 
common  lack  of  courage,  and  thinking  it  prudent  to  scare  the 
other  in  advance. 

There  was  a  grand  palaver,  in  the  midst  of  which  I  sent  word 
to  Sangala  that  if  he  stopped  me  I  would  blow  his  canoes  out  of 
water  with  grape-shot,  and  then  go  and  bring  a  man-of-war  to 
finish  him  up.  (This  threat  of  a  man-of-war  strikes  terror  into 
their  guilty  consciences.)  I  loaded  my  guns  and  pistols,  and 
made  my  men  put  good  charges  into  their  pieces,  and  awaited  the 
event. 

Presently  a  boat  came  to  ask  me  ashore,  Sangala  sending  his 
chief  wife  to  be  hostage  for  my  safety.  I  determined  to  go 
ashore,  and,  to  show  these  negroes  that  I  had  no  fear  of  them, 
took  the  woman  along  with  me,  to  her  great  joy.  Eanpano  and 
his  brother  kings  protested  against  my  rashness,  as  they  thought 
it ;  but  I  assumed  an  air,  and  told  them  it  was  not  the  fashion  of 
white  people  to  fear  any  thing.    All  this  has  its  effect  upon 


228 


HOUSE-BUILDING  IN  AFRICA. 


them,  and  Eanpano  was  evidently  impressed,  as  also  was  old 
Sangala. 

We  met  on  neutral  ground  outside  his  town.  His  army  was 
drawn  up  in  battle  array,  and  made  a  fine  savage  display,  many 
of  the  men,  in  addition  to  their  paints,  wearing  beautiful  leopard- 
skins  about  their  waists.  They  came  up  to  us  at  a  full  trot  when 
we  were  seated,  and  made  as  though  they  would  spear  us  all ;  but 
it  was  only  a  kind  of  military  salute.  After  this  Sangala  said  he 
would  let  me  pass  up  for  a  barrel  of  rum.  I  refused  to  give  rum, 
but  was  obliged  to  give  him  $16  to  go  off  and  buy  a  barrel.  Also 
I  gave  him  a  number  of  pieces  of  cloth  and  other  things,  and 
then  the  great  quarrel  was  settled. 

Ranpano  was  delighted.  He  said  he  would  no  more  be  king, 
but  install  me  in  his  place,  and  made  the  greatest  promises  of  good 
treatment.  We  loaded  seventeen  canoes  from  the  Caroline, 
and  pulled  up  to  the  village  where  I  was  to  make  my  home 
and  head-quarters  for  some  time,  and,  to  my  great  astonishment, 
though  we  did  not  reach  the  town  till  after  dark,  not  a  thing  was 
stolen.  The  next  day  the  schooner  was  emptied,  and,  I  am  glad  to 
say,  they  stole  not  a  single  article  of  me.  I  never  saw  or  heard 
of  such  a  case  of  honesty  in  Africa.  Every  thing  being  now  at 
Ranpano's  town,  my  first  work  was  to  prepare  my  quarters, 
where  I  was  to  spend  some  portion,  at  least,  of  the  next  twenty 
months,  and  would  leave  my  possessions  in  my  absence.  While 
I  was  thinking  over  a  plan  for  my  house,  on  the  evening  of  my 
arrival,  in  came  Ranpano  with  his  head  wife  to  get  his  present. 
He  came  slyly,  that  his  people  might  not  see  him,  and  I  made 
him  happy  with  ten  pieces  of  cloth,  a  gun,  a  neptune,  a  kettle,  and 
some  beads  and  other  trifles. 

The  next  day  every  body  was  set  to  work.  I  chose  the  site 
for  the  house,  a  beautiful  little  spot  in  the  high  prairie  about  150 
yards  distant  from  the  huts  of  the  village;  the  very  prettiest  little 
piece  of  ground,  taking  in  view  and  all,  that  I  saw  in  all  Africa. 
It  faced  the  river  which  I  was  to  explore,  and  where  a  school  of 
hippopotami  were  playing  about  every  day  on  a  shoal ;  had  a 
grove  at  its  back,  and  a  rivulet  of  clear  spring  water  rippling 
along  one  side. 

Hither  every  day  the  men  brought  me  the  long  straight 
branches  of  a  kind  of  palm  growing  by  the  river-side,  which  are 
used  for  the  sides  of  a  native  house.    Others  gathered  the  leaves 


MY  LIFE  IS  THKEATENED. 


229 


of  the  same  tree,  from  which  mats  for  roofing  are  made,  and  yet 
others  went  through  the  woods  collecting  wild  vines,  with  which 
to  tie  the  poles  or  bamboos  together,  and  long  slender  poles  to 
set  up  at  the  corners  to  tie  the  bamboo  sides  up  to.  The  women 
cleaned  the  ground,  and  every  evening  huge  piles  of  building 
material  were  laid  at  my  feet,  of  which  I  accepted  what  was  good, 
and  sent  away  the  poor. 

In  Africa  every  room  is  a  separate  house;  so  I  had  a  kitchen  in 
one  corner  of  my  place,  a  house  to  keep  my  goods  in  another,  a 
house  for  my  specimens  in  another,  and  fowl  and  goat  houses ; 
my  own  living  house,  and  huts  for  my  men,  whom  I  intended  to 
keep  with  me,  all  crowded  together,  and  making  altogether  quite 
a  little  colony.  The  native  carpenter,  with  his  mpano,  or  native 
hammer,  and  a  knife,  made  me  a  rude  sort  of  windows  and 
doors,  for  which  I  had  brought  hinges  and  locks  with  me. 

Every  thing  went  on  very  pleasantly  until  the  10th  of  April, 
when  pay-day  came  for  my  men.  I  had  settled  with  some,  when 
a  fellow  who  had  built  my  preserving  and  preparatory  house  for 
animals,  for  which  labor  I  had  promised  him  $24  in  goods,  had 
the  impudence  to  ask  forty  for  his  party.  I  refused,  where- 
upon one  of  the  workmen  threatened  me  with  his  knife.  Here 
was  a  very  bad  case  indeed,  and  one  of  which  I  felt  that  I  must 
make  an  example.  I  ran  for  my  gun,  and  threatened  to  shoot 
the  fellow,  who  was  put  out  of  my  way  by  his  friends.  Then  I 
called  for  the  king,  and  demanded  that  the  rascal  should  be  sent 
to  my  house  in  chains. 

He  said  "  Yes,"  but  evidently  did  not  want  to  find  him ;  and  I. 
who  felt  that  I  must  make  an  example  of  the  man  if  I  looked 
for  peace  and  respect  in  the  future,  only  insisted  the  more  that 
they  should  catch  him. 

At  last,  seeing  that  they  only  pretended,  I  sent  for  my  Croo- 
men  and  began  to  pack  up  my  goods,  saying  I  would  go  back  to 
Gaboon,  and  would  not  stay  among  such  men.  Just  then  an 
American  whale-ship  appeared  in  the  offing,  and  I  sent  word  im- 
mediately that  I  would  take  passage  in  her. 

The  king  came  to  me  and  upon  his  knees  begged  me  not  to  go ; 
and  finally,  seeing  I  was  determined,  set  off  with  some  men  for 
the  plantation  where  they  had  stowed  the  offender.  He  was  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  people  of  the  town,  and  they 
were  very  loth  to  give  him  up. 


230 


THE  TOWN  OF  WASHINGTON. 


On  the  next  day  (the  12  th)  the  man,  whose  name  was  Ovenga, 
was  brought  in.  The  excitement  was  intense.  The  people  were 
gathered  in  a  crowd,  and  talked  over  the  matter  ;  the  king  look- 
ed almost  pale  with  anxiety,  and  Ovenga  himself  shook  like  a  leaf. 
I  demanded  that  he  be  tied,  brought  to  my  house,  and  severely 
flogged.  They  begged  that  his  cloth  might  not  be  taken  off,  as  it 
would  be  a  disgrace  to  expose  an  old  man.  To  this  I  consented ; 
but  sat,  with  a  hard,  stern  face,  waiting  for  the  poor  criminal. 
When  at  last  he  stood  bound  before  me,  I  scolded  him  well  for 
his  attempt  to  cheat,  and  made  much  of  the  enormity  of  his  threat. 
Then  I  said  I  could  pay  only  what  I  had  promised ;  that  it  was  a 
great  outrage  to  threaten  with  a  knife;  that  his  own  people  ac- 
knowledged my  justice  in  flogging  him ;  but  that,  as  they  did  not 
know  "  white  man's  fashions"  in  such  matters,  I  had  determined 
to  forgive  him,  and  not  flog  him  at  all ;  with  which  I  set  him 
free. 

Instantly  thunders  of  applause  ran  through  the  village,  guns 
were  fired,  singing  and  dancing  began  all  over,  and  never  were 
such  a  set  of  jolly  fellows.  It  was  the  only  way  to  treat  them. 
If  I  had  passed  Ovenga's  threat  by,  I  should  probably  have  been 
murdered  at  some  future  time.  Now  they  think  more  highly  of 
me  than  ever  for  my  little  piece  of  justice  tempered  with  mercy. 

On  the  13th  of  April  I  took  possession  of  my  new  place,  which, 
being  quite  a  village,  I  have  called  "Washington.  It  consists  of 
my  own  house,  which  has  five  rooms,  is  forty-five  feet  long  by 
twenty-five  wide,  and  cost  fifty  dollars ;  my  kitchen,  four  dollars ; 
fowl-house,  containing  a  hundred  chickens  and  a  dozen  ducks : 
the  goat-house,  with  eighteen  goats ;  a  powder-house ;  two  other 
tolerably-sized  houses  for  stores,  etc.,  and  a  dozen  huts  for  my 
men.    This  is  Washington  in  Africa. 

Back  of  me  is  a  wide  extent  of  prairie.  In  front  is  the  River 
Npoulounai  winding  along ;  and  I  can  see  miles  on  the  way  which 
I  shall  soon  explore.  Its  banks  are  lined  with  mangroves ;  and, 
looking  up  stream  almost  any  time,  I  can  see  schools  of  hippopot- 
ami tossing  and  tumbling  on  the  flats. 

As  I  am  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  negroes  now,  I  am  ver}- 
strict,  but  entirely  just,  in  my  dealings;  making  myself  obeyed, 
and  that  without  loss  of  time.  I  made  them  stop  their  drumming 
at  night,  and  do  not  let  my  own  men  go  off  without  asking  leave ; 
which  last  seemed  a  dreadful  trouble  to  them,  but  one  to  be  en- 


CAMilA  MAN  AND  WOMAN. 


the  people.  They  are  very  much  like  the  Mpongwe,  and  have 
the  same  language,  with  a  few  local  variations.  They  are  divided 
into  several  families,  some  of  which  own  the  right  to  the  sea- 
shore, while  others  are  forced  by  these  to  remain  in  the  interior, 
and  send  their  goods  to  them  to  trade  off.  These  are  called  bush- 
men  ;  and,  as  might  be  expected,  they  are  poor,  as  their  sea-shore 
brethren  take  care  to  pick  the  best  of  all  the  trade.  They  are  all 
acute,  intelligent,  and  smart  traders,  though  they  have  had,  even  at 
the  river's  mouth,  but  very  little  intercourse,  so  far,  with  whites. 


232  UP  THE  FERN  AND  VAZ. 

'  * 

They  call  themselves  the  Gommi,  though  we  call  them  Camma. 
They  possess  the  sea-shore  from  south  of  Cape  Lopez  to  Cape  St. 
Catherine,  having  also  one  or  two  villages  on  the  Mexias.  Their 
chief  town  is  Aniambia,  once  a  large  and  flourishing  place  for 
these  people.  But  their  chief  villages  are  on  the  banks  of  the 
Fernand  Vaz,  which  is  called  by  the  natives  the  Eliva. 

The  mouth  of  the  Fernand  Vaz  is  obstructed  by  bars,  on  which 
the  sea  breaks  with  considerable  violence.  But  the  channel  has 
generally  three,  and,  in  the  rainy  season,  four  fathoms  water.  The 
banks  at  the  mouth  are  low ;  and  it  is  not  only  a  difficult  land- 
fall to  make  from  sea,  but  a  very  dreary  piece  of  land  when 
made. 

The  Camma  people  are  even  more  anxious  for  trade  than  the 
Mpongwe  ;  probably  because  they  have  not  yet  had  so  much  com- 
merce with  white  people.  Every  enterprising  Camma  fellow 
builds  a  few  huts  for  a  village  in  what  he  thinks  an  advantageous 
situation ;  then  builds  a  big  house  for  the  factory  which  is  to 
come ;  and  then  does  nothing  for  the  balance  of  his  life  but  wait 
for  this  blissful  coming.  It  does  not  occur  to  him  to  collect  ivory, 
or  oil,  or  India-rubber.  He  prefers  rather  to  lie  in  wait  for  pass 
ing  vessels,  and  try  with  his  most  honeyed  words  to  persuade  some 
luckless  captain  ashore. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  negro  tribes  about  here  are  much  alike 
in  their  general  characters.  A  description  of  the  Mpongwe  will 
answer  tolerably  well  for  all  the  sea-shore  tribes  from  the  Moon- 
dah  to  Cape  St.  Catherine,  making  allowance  for  the  greater  rude- 
ness of  those  who,  like  these  Camma,  have  not  had  much  acquaint- 
ance with  Europeans. 

On  the  13th  of  April  I  bought,  for  thirty  dollars'  worth  of 
goods,  a  really  splendid  canoe,  which  I  hoped  would  be  service- 1 
able  to  me  in  my  up-river  explorations.  I  was  now  anxious  to 
be  off;  and  determined  to  make  a  short  trip  to  the  sea-shore  by 
way  of  Aniambia.  This  would  carry  me  first  about  thirty -five 
miles  up  the  Fernand  Vaz,  and  then  across  the  land,  as  the  reader 
will  see  by  referring  to  the  map. 

My  men  were  ready,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  we  set 
out.  I  had  satisfied  myself  that  Banpano  was  anxious  to  have 
me  remain  in  his  town,  as  were  also  his  people ;  and  I  had  little 
fear  of  injury  to  my  things  in  my  absence  so  long  as  this  good 
opinion  of  me  was  kept  up.    I  therefore  called  them  together  be- 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  RIVER. 


233 


fore  my  departure,  and  said  that  I  had  perfect  confidence  in  them ; 
that  I  was  their  white  man,  and  had  come  to  them  through  much 
difficulty  and  danger  {cheers) ;  that  Sangala  people  wanted  me,  but 
I  was  determined  to  live  with  the  honest  folks  of  Biagano  {violent 
cheering) ;  that  I  was  going  away  for  a  few  days,  and  hoped  to  find 
my  goods  all  safe  when  I  came  back. 

At  this  there  were  great  shoutings  of  "  You  can  go !"  "  Do  not 
fear!"  "We  love  you!"  "You  are  our  white  man!"  "We  will 
take  care !"  and  so  on ;  amid  which  my  sixteen  men  seized  their 
paddles  and  shoved  off. 

Five  or  six  miles  above  Biagano  are  some  little  islands.  Aft- 
er passing  these  the  river  widened,  until  at  Sanguibuiri,  twenty 
miles  above  the  mouth,  it  is  about  three  miles  wide.  The  coun- 
try was  low  here,  but  as  we  ascended  it  got  higher,  and  the  riv- 
er narrowed,  often  suddenly,  till  in  a  few  miles  it  was  but  half 
a  mile  wide.  At  nine  the  moon  rose,  and  we  pulled  along 
through  what  seemed  a  charmed  scene ;  the  placid  stream  shaded 
by  the  immense  trees  which  overhung  its  banks,  and  the  silence 
broken  now  and  then  by  the  screech  of  some  night-prowling 
beast,  or  more  frequently  by  the  sudden  splurge  of  a  playful  herd 
of  hippopotami. 

Toward  midnight  my  men  became  tired,  and  we  went  ashore 
at  a  little  village  which  was  nearly  empty.  We  could  find  only 
three  old  women,  who  were  fast  asleep,  and  not  particularly  anx- 
ious to  make  us  welcome.  I  was  too  sleepy  to  stand  upon  cere- 
monies, and  stowed  myself  away  under  a  rough  shed  without 
walls,  first  building  a  good  fire  in  front  and  arranging  my  mus- 
quito-bar  so  as  to  keep  out  those  buzzing  intruders.  But  I  had 
hardly  laid  down  when  there  came  up  suddenly  one  of  those 
fierce  tornadoes  which  pass  over  these  countries  in  the  rainy  sea- 
son. Fortunately  it  was  a  dry  tornado,  and  one  discomfort  was 
thus  saved  us ;  but  while  it  lasted  I  had  to  stand  out  in  the  clear 
street,  lest  some  house  should  fall  on  me. 

Shortly  after  we  left  the  village  next  morning  (having  paid  for 
our  lodgings  with  the  ever-welcome  tobacco),  we  came  to  a  part 
of  the  river  where  it  widened  into  a  considerable  and  very  pretty 
bay.  This  was  studded  with  little  green  islets,  which  lie  so  thick- 
ly in  places  as  to  form  the  sluggish  stream  into  numerous  little 
lakelets,  creeks,  and  narrow  straits. 

All  this  while,  though  we  were  going  up  stream,  we  were  not 


234 


ANIAMBIA. 


diverging  greatly  from  the  coast-line,  and  were,  in  fact,  going 
down  the  coast  rather  than  into  the  interior.  The  sluggish  river 
runs  through  these  sandy  low  banks,  unable  at  any  point  to  force 
its  way  through  to  the  sea,  which  is,  in  places,  so  near  that  one 
may  hear  its  roar. 

About  ten  o'clock  of  the  second  day  we  came  to  another  bay 
or  lagoon,  on  whose  banks,  on  a  high  hill,  lies  the  pretty  village 
of  Igale  Mande.  Hereabouts  the  river  is  charming.  Thick  for- 
ests border  the  banks ;  and  on  the  trees,  as  we  passed  beneath, 
sat  or  skipped  about  that  graceful  and  curious  little  monkey,  the 
mangabei  d  colier,  whose  white  whiskers  give  him  a  very  peculiar 
and  venerable  appearance.  This  town  is  about  forty  miles  from 
the  mouth.  We  found  but  one  man  and  his  wife  at  home.  The 
rest  had  gone  to  make  palm-oil. 

Here  a  part  of  my  crew  refused  to  proceed.  It  leaked  out  that 
they  had  been  intriguing  with  some  women  in  Aniambia,  and 
now  they  were  afraid  of  being  caught  by  the  irate  husbands.  So 
I  left  them  behind,  not  caring  to  get  into  a  row  by  protecting 
them,  as  I  should  certainly  have  done  if  they  had  gone  along.  It 
would  be  fatal  to  a  traveler  in  Africa  to  let  any  one,  for  any 
cause,  interfere  with  the  men  he  employs.  I  never  permitted  it, 
even  when  my  men  were  in  fault. 

From  Igale  to  Aniambia  was  a  two  hour's  walk  through  grass- 
fields,  in  which  we  found  numerous  birds,  some  of  them  new  to 
me.  One  in  particular,  the  Mycteria  Senegalensis,  had  such  long 
legs  that  it  fairly  outwalked  me.  I  tried  to  catch  it,  but,  though 
it  would  not  take  to  the  wing,  it  kept  so  far  ahead  that  I  did  not 
even  get  a  fair  shot  at  it. 

Aniambia  lies  on  the  sea-shore,  near  a  point  north  of  Cape  St. 
Catherine;  which  point  makes  a  safe  landing-place.  Here  was 
once  the  head-quarters  of  the  now  scattered  Camma  people. 
Twenty  years  ago,  when  King  Eegundo  reigned  here,  it  had 
probably  a  population  of  nearly  three  thousand,  and  was  a  noted 
place  for  slave-factories,  and  for  ivory  and  other  African  produce. 
The  natives  still  speak  with  reverence  of  their  great  king.  After 
his  death  the  chief  men  in  the  leading  families  spread,  the  town 
broke  up,  and  gradually  the  tribe  has  become  scattered,  till  it  oc- 
cupies the  wide  range  of  country  before  noted.  The  death  of 
their  king  was  a  death-blow  to  all  their  prosperity.  They  have 
had  but  few  factories  since,  and  have  robbed  most  of  them ;  and, 


KING  OLENGA-YOMBI. 


235 


as  they  own  no  king  nor  head  chief,  no  redress  is  to  be  got,  and 
white  men  have  ceased  to  come  among  them.  Once  in  a  great 
while  they  get  hold  of  some  unlucky  captain,  ignorant  of  their 
character,  whom  they  fleece  without  mercy  and  generally  send 
away  only  when  they  have  ruined  him. 

Stdl  they  are  as  eagerly  on  the  look-out  for  shipping  as  ever. 
The  big  trade-house  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  village  in  all  its 
glory ;  the  Euglish  flag  floated  to  the  breeze  on  the  high  pole 
which  every  Camma  village  has,  a  flag  being  the  sign  of  a  ship 
in  the  offing ;  and  the  canoe  was  ready  to  launch  at  short  notice  to 
board  some  passing  merchantman. 

The  present  king,  Olenga-Yombi,  came  in  from  his  plantation 
when  he  heard  the  joyful  news  that  a  white  man  had  arrived,  and 
I  made  him  a  formal  visit.  He  was  a  drunken  old  wretch,  sur- 
rounded by  a  crowd  of  the  chief  men  of  the  town.  His  majesty 
had  on  a  thick  overcoat,  but  no  trowsers ;  and,  early  as  it  was, 
had  already  taken  a  goodly  quantity  of  rum  or  palm  wine.  I 
was  invited  to  sit  at  his  right  hand.  I  told  him  I  had  come  to 
purchase  a  little  ivory  and  to  hunt,  having  heard  that  there  was 
game  in  his  country.  After  presenting  him  a  few  strips  of  cloth, 
some  pipes,  and  several  heads  of  tobacco,  which  put  him  in  a 
good  temper,  he  declared  I  was  a  good  white  man,  and  should  go 
wherever  I  chose. 

Accordingly,  I  went  out  in  the  afternoon,  but  found  all  around 
here  a  very  low  country,  perfectly  flat,  and  mostly  prairie.  The 
long  grass  was  full  of  birds,  and  the  long-legged  Micteria  was  in 
great  numbers.  There  were  also  great  flocks  of  a  beautiful  bird 
whose  dark  golden  body-plumage,  and  snow-white,  long,  downy 
neck,  made  a  very  fine  and  marked  contrast  with  the  green  grass. 
Next  to  these,  in  point  of  numbers,  was  the  snow-white  egretta, 
which  is  found  in  vast  flocks  all  along  this  coast. 

At  nightfall  I  got  a  guide  and  went  out  to  see  if  I  could  get  a 
shot  at  something  larger  than  a  bird.  Gorilla  are  said  to  be  found 
in  the  country  back  of  here ;  but  I  had  no  hope  of  getting  a  shot 
at  one  here,  and  was  prepared  for  game  of  less  note.  "We  had 
gone  but  a  little  way  when  my  guide  pointed  out  to  me  a  couple 
of  bright  glowing  spots  visible  through  a  piece  of  thick  brush. 
The  fellow  trembled  as  he  whispered  "  Leopard ;"  but  I  saw  at 
once  that  it  was  only  the  light  of  a  couple  of  fire-flies  who  had 
got  in  proper  position  to  make  a  tolerable  resemblance  to  the 
glowing  eyes  of  the  feared  leopard. 


236 


NEGRO  FANDANGO. 


About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  at  last  heard  a  grunting 
which  announced  the  approach  of  a  herd  of  wild  hogs.  I  lay 
in  wait  near  the  track  they  had  to  pass  along,  and  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  kill  the  big  boar  of  the  pack.  The  rest  of  the 
herd  made  off  without  showing  a  desire  for  fight,  as  these  mali- 
cious animals  do  sometimes,  and  we  returned  to  town  with  our 
trophy. 

On  the  next  evening  (17th)  the  king  held  a  grand  dance  in  my 
honor.  This  is  an  honor  I  abominate,  but  one  which  can  not  be 
declined,  because  the  natives  enjoy  it  too  much  themselves.  All 
the  king's  wives,  to  the  number  of  forty,  and  all  the  women  of 
the  town  and  neighborhood,  were  present.  Fortunately  the  dance 
was  held  out  in  the  street,  and  not  in  a  room,  as  in  Cape  Lopez. 
The  women  were  ranged  on  one  side,  the  men  opposite.  At  the 
end  of  the  line  sat  the  drummers  beating  their  huge  tam-tams, 
which  make  an  infernal  and  deafening  din,  enough  to  distract  a 
man  of  weak  nerves.  And,  as  though  for  this  occasion  the  tam- 
tams were  not  entirely  adequate,  there  was  singing,  and  shouting, 
and  a  series  of  brass  kettles,  which  also  were  furiously  beaten ; 
while  as  a  last,  and  most  ingenious  addition,  a  number  of  boys 
sat  near  the  drummers  beating  on  hollow  pieces  of  wood.  It 
is  curious  what  a  stirring  effect  the  sound  of  the  tam-tam  ha? 
on  the  African.  It  works  upon  him  like  martial  music  does  upon 
excitable  Frenchmen ;  they  lose  all  control  over  themselves  at  its 
sound,  and  the  louder  and  more  energetically  the  horrid  drum  is 
beaten  the  wilder  are  the  jumps  of  the  male  African,  and  the 
more  disgustingly  indecent  the  contortions  of  the  women. 

As  may  be  imagined,  to  beat  the  tam-tam  is  not  a  labor  of  love. 
The  stoutest  negro  is  worn  out  in  an  hour  at  farthest,  and  for 
such  a  night's  entertainment  as  this  a  series  of  drummers  are  re- 
quired. 

The  people  enjoyed  it  vastly,  their  only  regret  being  that  they 
had  not  a  barrel  of  rum  to  drink  in  the  pauses  of  the  dance.  But 
they  managed  to  get  just  as  drunk  on  palm  wine,  of  which  a  great 
quantity  was  served  out.  The  excitement  became  greatest  when 
the  king  danced.  His  majesty  was  pretty  drunk,  and  his  jumps 
were  very  highly  applauded.  His  wives  bowed  down  to  his  feet 
while  he  capered  about,  and  showed  him  the  deepest  marks  of 
veneration,  while  the  drums  and  kettles  were  belabored  more  fu- 
riously than  ever. 


FETICHES  AND  THEIR  HOUSES. 


237 


After  standing  it  as  well  as  I  could  for  two  hours,  I  left ;  but 
though  I  lay  down  I  could  not  sleep  all  night,  for  they  kept  it  up 
till  nearly  daylight. 

The  next  day  I  visited  the  two  fetich-houses.  Aniambia  en- 
joyed the  protection  of  two  spirits  of  very  great  power,  named 
Abambou  and  Mbuirri.  The  former  \s  an  evil  spirit,  the  latter  is 
beneficent.  They  are  both  worshiped;  and  their  accommoda- 
tions, so  far  as  I  was  permitted  to  see,  were  exactly  alike. 

They  were  housed  in  little  huts,  each  about  six  feet  square  and 
six  feet  high.  The  fetich-man,  who  is  also  doctor  and  town-ora- 
cle, led  me  to  where  they  stood  together  at  the  end  of  the  village, 
and  respectfully  opened  the  doors  for  me  to  look  into  his  holy 
places. 

In  the  house  of  Abambou  I  saw  a  fire,  which  I  was  told  is  not 
permitted  to  go  out.  I  saw  no  idol,  but  only  a  large  chest,  on  the 
top  of  which  lay  some  white  and  red  chalk  and  some  red  parrot- 
feathers.  The  chalk  is  used  to  mark  the  bodies  of  the  devout  on 
certain  occasions  when  vows  are  made.  The  feathers  were  prob- 
ably part  of  the  trappings  of  the  spirit. 

Abambou  is  the  devil  of  the  Camma.  He  is  a  wicked  and  mis- 
chievous spirit,  who  lives  near  graves  and  in  burial-grounds,  and 
is  most  comfortably  lodged  among  the  skeletons  of  the  dead.  He 
takes  occasional  walks  through  the  country ;  and,  if  he  is  angry 
at  any  one,  has  the  power  to  cause  sickness  and  death.  The 
Camma  cook  food  for  him,  which  is  deposited  in  lonely  places  in 
the  woods ;  and  then  they  address  him  in  a  flattering  manner, 
and  ask  him  to  be  good  to  them,  and,  in  consideration  of  their 
gifts,  to  leave  them  alone.  I  was  present  once  at  a  meeting  where 
Abambou  was  being  addressed  in  public.  They  cried  continu- 
ally, "  Now  we  are  well !  Now  we  are  satisfied !  Now  be  our 
friend,  and  do  not  hurt  us !" 

The  offerings  of  plantain,  sugar-cane,  and  ground-nuts,  are  wrap- 
ped in  leaves  by  the  free  men,  but  the  slaves  lay  them  on  the  bare 
ground.  Sometimes  Abambou  is  entreated  to  kill  the  enemies  of 
him  who  is  making  the  sacrifice.  A  bed  is  made  in  Abambou's 
house,  and  here  he  sometimes  comes  to  rest  himself  when  he  is 
tired  of  going  up  and  down  the  coast.  At  the  new  moon  great  quiet 
reigns  in  the  Camma  villages,  and  then  the  people  pray  to  their 
spirits,  of  whom  each  family  or  subdivision  of  the  tribe  owns  two, 
kept  in  a  small  hut  in  the  village  of  the  oldest  chief  of  that  family. 


238 


IFOUTA  TOSSED. 


Mbuirri,  whose  house  I  next  visited,  is  lodged  and  kept  much 
as  his  rival.  He  is  a  good  spirit,  but  has  powers  much  the  same 
as  Abainbu,  so  far  as  I  could  see.  Being  less  wicked,  he  is  not  so 
zealously  worshiped. 

There  is  a  third  and  much  dreaded  spirit,  called  Ovengua. 
This  is  the  terrible  catcher  ihd  eater  of  men.  He  is  not  worship- 
ed, and  has  no  power  over  diseases.  But  he  wanders  unceasing- 
ly through  the  forests,  and  catches  and  destroys  luckless  travel- 
ers who  cross  his  path.  By  day  he  lives  in  dark  caverns,  but  at 
night  he  roams  freely ;  and  even  sometimes  gets  into  the  body  of 
a  man,  and  beats  and  kills  all  who  come  out  in  the  dark.  Some- 
times, they  relate,  such  a  spirit  is  met  and  resisted  by  a  body  of 
men,  who  wound  him  with  spears,  and  even  kill  him.  In  this 
case  his  body  must  be  burned,  and  not  even  the  smallest  bone 
left,  lest  a  new  Ovengua  should  arise  from  it.  There  are  many 
spots  where  no  object  in  the  world  would  induce  a  Camma  negro 
to  go  by  night,  for  fear  of  this  dreadful  monster.  It  is  really  a 
frightful  superstition  to  an  ignorant  and  credulous  people,  and  I 
do  not  wonder  at  their  fear. 

They  have  a  singular  belief  that  when  a  person  dies  who  has 
been  bewitched,  the  bones  of  his  body  leave  the  grave  one  by 
one,  and  form  in  a  single  line,  which  line  of  bones  gradually  be- 
comes an  Ovengua. 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  at  the  religious  notions  of  these 
people.  They  have  no  well-defined  ideas  of  them  themselves, 
and  on  many  points  they  are  not  very  communicative. 

I  started  out  early  on  the  19th  to  try  and  get  a  shot  at  some 
buffalo  which  were  said  to  be  in  the  prairie  back  of  the  town. 
Ifouta,  a  hunter,  accompanied  me,  and  met  with  an  accident 
through  losing  his  presence  of  mind.  TVe  had  been  out  about  an 
hour,  when  we  came  upon  a  bull  feeding  in  the  midst  of  a  little 
prairie  surrounded  by  a  wood  which  made  our  approach  easy. 
Ifouta  walked  around  opposite  to  where  I  lay  in  wait,  that  if  the 
animal  took  alarm  at  him  it  might  fly  toward  me ;  and  then  began 
to  crawl,  in  the  hunter  fashion,  through  the  grass  toward  his  prey. 
All  went  well  till  he  came  near  enough  for  a  shot.  Just  then, 
unluckily,  the  bull  saw  him.  Ifouta  immediately  fired.  The 
gun  made  a  long  fire,  and  he  only  wounded  the  beast,  which, 
quite  infuriated,  as  it  often  is  at  the  attack  of  hunters,  immedi- 
ately rushed  upon  him. 


t 


THE  KING  IS  TKICKED.  241 

It  was  now  that  poor  Ifouta  lost  his  presence  of  mind.  In 
such  cases,  which  are  continually  happening  to  those  who  hunt 
the  Bos  brachicheros,  the  cue  of  the  hunter  is  to  remain  perfectly 
quiet  till  the  beast  is  within  a  jump  of  him,  then  to  step  nimbly 
to  one  side  and  let  it  rush  past.    But  Ifouta  got  up  and  ran. 

Of  course,  in  a  moment  the  bull  had  him  on  his  horns.  It  toss- 
ed him  high  into  the  air  once,  twice,  thrice,  ere  I  could  run  up, 
and,  by  my  shouts,  draw  its  fury  to  myself.  Then  it  came  rush- 
ing at  me.  But  my  guns  do  not  hesitate,  and,  as  I  had  a  fair  shot, 
I  killed  it  without  trouble.  .  ^ 

Ifouta  proved  to  be  considerably  bruised,  but,  on  the  whole, 
more  scared  than  hurt;  and  when  I  had  washed  him  off  in  a 
creek  near  by,  he  was  able  to  walk  home. 

The  next  day  (20th  of  April)  I  was  to  go  home,  and  the  king 
came  to  take  leave  of  me,  when  a  funny  scene  occurred.  His 
majesty  made  a  long  stay,  and  his  subjects,  some  of  whom  were 
awaiting  his  departure  to  do  a  little  private  trading  with  me,  as 
they  dared  not  let  the  king  see  the  goods  they  got  of  me,  got  out 
of  patience ;  so  they  sent  in  a  messenger  to  say  that  a  man  was 
anxious  to  speak  to  his  majesty  in  his  house.  The  king  went 
off,  and  had  no  sooner  gone  than  in  rushed  the  men,  handed  me 
their  ivory,  and  begged  me  to  hurry  and  give  them  their  goods. 
I  had  just  done  so  when  the  king  reappeared,  with  a  stout  stick 
in  his  hands,  and  laid  about  him  in  a  great  rage  at  having  been 
made  a  fool  of ;  while  the  poor  wretches  dropped  their  little  bun- 
dles and  made  their  escape  as  best  they  might. 

To  return  to  Eanpano's  town  we  took  a  different  road,  by  which 
we  reached  the  river  much  quicker.  The  whole  country  here- 
abouts is  a  beautiful  prairie-land,  well  wooded  at  frequent  inter- 
vals. On  the  road  we  passed  a  place  in  a  forest  which  is  supposed 
to  be  haunted  by  the  spirit  of  a  crazy  woman  who,  some  genera- 
tions ago,  left  her  home  in  a  neighboring  village  to  live  here,  and 
who  has  been  an  object  of  dread  to  the  negroes  ever  since.  They 
believe  that  she  still  cultivates  her  plantation  in  some  hidden  cor- 
ner of  the  forest,  and  that  she  often  lies  in  wait  for  travelers, 
whom  she  beats  and  kills  out  of  pure  malice. 

On  the  borders  of  the  river  we  found  the  village  of  Makaga- 
Oungion,  the  chief  of  which  had  come  down  to  help  fight  the  San- 
gala  people  on  my  account,  for  which  reason  I  was  glad  to  be 
civil  to  him.    The  town  was  situated  in  a  lovely  spot,  with  a  fine 

Q 


242  TOWN  REMOVED. 

sandy  prairie  on  one  side  and  a  forest  on  the  other.  The  scenery 
was  very  enticing.  I  should  like  to  have  staid  here  some  time 
— the  more  so,  as  Makaga  told  me  that  the  cry  of  the  gorilla  is 
heard  frequently  in  these  woods,  and  the  animals  are  daring 
enough  to  come  down  and  rob  the  plantain  and  sugar-cane  plant- 
ations. 

We  paddled  all  night,  and  reached  Biagano  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th.  Canoe  navigation  is  not  at  any  time  pleasant,  least  of 
all  by  night.  But  this  time  we  had  an  added  unpleasantness  in 
getting  lap  accident  among  a  school  of  gamboling  hippopotami, 
who  rose  all  around  us,  and,  by  their  boisterous  motions,  several 
times  nearly  capsized  us. 

I  found,  on  my  return,  that  all  the  Biagano  people  had  moved 
from  the  sea-shore  and  built  them  huts  near  my  house.  I  had 
reason  to  fear  for  my  fowls  and  goats ;  but,  on  remonstrating,  was 
assured  by  all  hands  that  they  would  not  steal  from  me,  and  that 
they  did  not  want  to  live  away  from  their  white  man.  Tobacco 
was  what  brought  them  to  me.  They  thought  they  would  get 
none  unless  they  were  near  me.  I  was  forced  to  be  satisfied : 
and,  indeed,  must  acknowledge  that  they  behave  with  great  pro 
priety. 

On  the  4th  of  May  I  had  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  my 
whole  life.    Some  hunters  who  had  been  out  on  my  account 


YOCHG  GORILLA. 


brought  in  a  young  gorilla  alive  !  I  can  not  describe  the  emo- 
tions with  which  I  saw  the  struggling  little  brute  dragged  into 


WE  CATCH  A  LIVE  GORILLA. 


243 


the  village.  All  the  hardships  I  had  endured  in  Africa  were  re- 
warded in  that  moment. 

It  was  a  little  fellow  of  between  two  and  three  years  old,  two 
feet  six  inches  in  length,  and  as  fierce  and  stubborn  as  a  grown 
animal  could  have  been. 

My  hunters,  whom  I  could  have  hugged  to  my  heart,  took  him 
in  the  country  between  the  Rembo  and  Cape  St.  Catherine.  By 
their  account,  they  were  going,  five  in  number,  to  a  village  near 
the  coast,  and  walking  very  silently  through  the  forest,  when  they 
heard  what  they  immediately  recognized  as  the  cry  of  a  young- 
gorilla  for  its  mother.  The  forest  was  silent.  It  was  about  noon  ; 
and  they  immediately  determined  to  follow  the  cry.  Presently 
they  heard  it  again.  Guns  in  hand,  the  brave  fellows  crept  noise- 
lessly toward  a  clump  of  wood,  where  the  baby  gorilla  evidently 
was.  They  knew  the  mother  would  be  near;  and  there, was  a 
likelihood  that  the  male,  the  most  dreaded  of  all,  might  be  there 
too.  But  they  determined  to  risk  all,  and,  if  at  all  possible,  to 
take  the  young  one  alive,  knowing  what  a  joy  it  would  be  for 
me. 

Presently  they  perceived  the  bush  moving ;  and  crawling  a  lit- 
tle farther  on  in  dead  silence,  scarce  breathing  with  excitement, 
they  beheld,  what  has  seldom  been  seen  even  by  the  negroes,  a 
young  gorilla,  seated  on  the  ground,  eating  some  berries  which 
grew  close  to  the  earth.  A  few  feet  farther  on  sat  the  mother, 
also  eating  of  the  same  fruit. 

Instantly  they  made  ready  to  fire ;  and  none  too  soon,  for  the 
old  female  saw  them  as  they  raised  their  guns,  and  they  had  only 
to  pull  triggers  without  delay.  Happily  they  wounded  her  mor- 
tally. 

She  fell.  The  young  one,  hearing  the  noise  of  the  guns,  ran  to 
his  mother  and  clung  to  her,  hiding  his  face,  and  embracing  her 
body.  The  hunters  immediately  rushed  toward  the  two,  hallooing 
with  joy  as  they  ran  on.  But  this  roused  the  little  one,  who  in- 
stantly let  go  his  mother  and  ran  to  a  small  tree,  which  he  climb- 
ed with  great  agility,  where  he  sat  and  roared  at  them  savagely. 

They  were  now  perplexed  how  to  get  at  him.  No  one  cared 
to  run  the  chance  of  being  bitten  by  this  savage  little  beast,  and 
shoot  it  they  would  not.  At  last  they  cut  down  the  tree,  and,  as 
it  fell,  dextrously  threw  a  cloth  over  the  head  of  the  young  mon- 
ster, and  thus  gained  time  to  secure  it  while  it  was  blinded.  With 


244 


FEROCITY  OF  THE  YOUNG  BEAST. 


all  these  precautions,  one  of  the  men  received  a  severe  bite  on  the 
hand,  and  another  had  a  piece  taken  out  of  his  leg. 

As  the  little  brute,  though  so  diminutive,  and  the  merest  baby 
for  age,  was  astonishingly  strong  and  by  no  means  good-temper- 
ed, they  could  not  lead  him.  He  constantly  rushed  at  them.  So 
they  were  obliged  to  get  a  forked  stick,  in  which  his  neck  was  in- 
serted in  such  a  way  that  he  could  not  escape,  and  yet  could  be 
kept  at  a  safe  distance.  In  this  uncomfortable  way  he  was 
brought  into  the  village. 

There  the  excitement  was  intense.  As  the  animal  was  lifted 
out  of  the  canoe  in  which  he  had  come  a  little  way  down  the  riv- 
er, he  roared  and  bellowed,  and  looked  around  wildly  with  his 
wicked  little  eyes,  giving  fair  warning  that  if  he  could  only  get 
at  some  of  us  he  would  take  his  revenge. 

I  saw  that  the  stick  hurt  his  neck,  and  immediately  set  about 
to  have  a  cage  made  for  him.  In  two  hours  we  had  built  a  strong 
bamboo  house,  with  the  slats  securely  tied  at  such  distances  apart 
that  we  could  see  the  gorilla  and  it  could  see  out.  Here  the  thing 
was  immediately  deposited ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  I  had  a 
fair  chance  to  look  at  my  prize. 

It  was  a  young  male  gorilla,  evidently  not  yet  three  years  old, 
fully  able  to  walk  alone,  and  possessed,  for  its  age,  of  most  extra- 
ordinary strength  and  muscular  development.  Its  greatest  length 
proved  to  be,  afterward,  two  feet  six  inches.  Its  face  and  hands 
were  very  black,  eyes  not  so  much  sunken  as  in  the  adult.  The 
hair  began  just  at  the  eyebrows  and  rose  to  the  crown,  where  it 
was  of  a  reddish-brown.  It  came  down  the  sides  of  the  face  in 
lines  to  the  lower  jaw  much  as  our  beards  grow.  The  upper  lip 
was  covered  with  short  coarse  hair ;  the  lower  lip  had  longer 
hair.  The  eyelids  very  slight  and  thin.  Eyebrows  straight,  and 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  long. 

The  whole  back  was  covered  with  hair  of  an  iron-gray,  becom- 
ing dark  nearer  the  arms,  and  quite  white  about  the  amis.  Chest 
and  abdomen  covered  with  hair,  which  was  somewhat  thin  and 
short  on  the  breast.  On  the  arms  the  hair  was  longer  than  any 
where  on  the  body,  and  of  a  grayish -black  color,  caused  by  the 
roots  of  the  hair  being  dark  and  the  ends  white.  On  the  hands 
and  wrists  the  hair  was  black,  and  came  down  to  the  second 
joints  of  the  fingers,  though  one  could  see  in  the  short  down  the 
beginning  of  the  long  black  hair  which  lines  the  upper  parts  of 


ESCAPE  OF  JOE  GORILLA. 


240 


the  fingers  in  the  adult.  The  hair  of  the  legs  was  grayish-black, 
becoming  blacker  as  it  reached  the  ankles,  the  feet  being  covered 
with  black  hair. 

"When  I  had  the  little  fellow  safely  locked  in  his  cage,  I  ven- 
tured to  approach  to  say  a  few  encouraging  words  to  him.  He 
stood  in  the  farthest  corner,  but  as  I  approached  bellowed  and 
made  a  precipitate  rush  at  me  ;  and  though  I  retreated  as  quick- 
ly as  I  could,  succeeded  in  catching  my  trowser-legs,  which  he 
grasped  with  one  of  his  feet  and  tore,  retreating  immediately  to 
the  corner  farthest  away.  This  taught  me  caution  for  the  pres- 
ent, though  I  had  a  hope  still  to  be  able  to  tame  him. 

He  sat  in  his  corner  looking  wickedly  out  of  his  gray  eyes,  and 
I  never  saw  a  more  morose  or  ill-tempered  face  than  had  this  lit- 
tle beast. 

The  first  thing  was,  of  course,  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  my  cap- 
tive. I  sent  for  some  of  the  forest  berries  which  these  animals 
are  known  to  prefer,  and  placed  these  and  a  cup  of  water  within 
his  reach.  He  was  exceedingly  shy,  and  would  neither  eat  nor 
drink  till  I  had  removed  to  a  Considerable  distance. 

The  second  day  found  Joe,  as  I  had  named  him,  fiercer  than 
the  first.  He  rushed  savagely  at  any  one  who  stood  even  for  a 
moment  near  his  cage,  and  seemed  ready  to  tear  us  all  to  pieces. 
I  threw  him  to-day  some  pine-apple  leaves,  of  which  I  noticed  he 
ate  only  the  white  parts.  There  seemed  no  difficulty  about  his 
food,  though  he  refused  now,  and  continued  during  his  short  life 
to  refuse  all  food  except  such  wild  leaves  and  fruits  as  were  gath- 
ered from  his  native  woods  for  him. 

The  third  day  he  was  still  morose  and  savage,  bellowing  when 
any  person  approached,  and  either  retiring  to  a  distant  corner  or 
rushing  to  attack.  On  the  fourth  day,  while  no  one  was  near,  the 
little  rascal  succeeded  in  forcing  apart  two  of  the  bamboo  rails 
which  composed  his  cage,  and  made  his  escape.  I  came  up  just 
as  his  flight  was  discovered,  and  immediately  got  all  the  negroes 
together  for  pursuit,  determining  to  surround  the  wood  and  recap- 
ture my  captive.  Eunning  into  the  house  to  get  one  of  my  guns. 
I  was  startled  by  an  angry  growl  issuing  from  under  my  low  bed- 
stead. It  was  master  Joe,  who  lay  there  hid,  but  anxiously  watch- 
ing my  movements.  I  instantly  shut  the  windows,  and  called  to 
my  people  to  guard  the  door.  When  Joe  saw  the  crowd  of  black 
faces  he  became  furious,  and,  with  his  eyes  glaring  and  every  sign 


246 


MY  PRIZE  IS  UNTAMABLE. 


of  rage  in  his  little  face  and  body,  got  out  from  beneath  the  bed 
We  shut  the  door  at  the  same  time  and  left  him  master  6f  the 
premises,  preferring  to  devise  some  plan  for  his  easy  capture  than 
to  expose  ourselves  to  his  terrible  teeth. 

How  to  take  him  was  now  a  puzzling  question.  Lie  had  shown 
such  strength  and  such  rage  already,  that  not  even  I  cared  to  run 
the  chance  of  being  badly  bitten  in  a  hand-to-hand  struggle. 
Meantime  Joe  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room  looking  about  for 
his  enemies,  and  examining,  with  some  surprise,  the  furniture.  I 
watched  with  fear  lest  the  ticking  of  my  clock  should  strike  his 
ear,  and  perhaps  lead  him  to  an  assault,  upon  that  precious  article. 
Indeed,  I  should  have  left  Joe  in  possession,  but  for  a  fear  that  he 
would  destroy  the  many  articles  of  value  or  curiosity  I  had  hung 
about  the  walls. 

Finally,  seeing  him  quite  quiet,  I  dispatched  some  fellows  for  a 
net,  and,  opening  the  door  quickly,  threw  this  over  his  head.  For- 
tunately we  succeeded  at  the  first  throw  in  fatally  entangling  the 
young  monster,  who  roared  frightfully,  and  struck  and  kicked  in 
every  direction  under  the  net.  I  took  hold  of  the  back  of  his 
neck,  two  men  seized  his  arms  and  another  the  legs,  and  thus 
held  by  four  men  this  extraordinary  little  creature  still  proved 
most  troublesome.  We  carried  him  as  quickly  as  we  could  to 
the  cage,  which  had  been  repaired,  and  there  once  more  locked 
him  in. 

I  never  saw  so  furious  a  beast  in  my  life  as  he  was.  lie  dart- 
ed at  every  one  who  came  near,  bit  the  bamboos  of  the  house, 
glared  at  us  with  venomous  and  sullen  eyes,  and  in  every  motion 
showed  a  temper  thoroughly  wicked  and  malicious. 

As  there  was  no  change  in  this  for  two  days  thereafter,  but 
continual  moroseness,  I  tried  what  starvation  would  do  toward 
breaking  his  spirit ;  also,  it  began  to  be  troublesome  to  procure  his 
food  from  the  woods,  and  I  wanted  him  to  become  accustomed  to 
civilized  food,  which  was  placed  before  him.  But  he  would  touch 
nothing  of  the  kind ;  and  as  for  temper,  after  starving  him  twen- 
ty-four hours,  all  I  gained  was  that  he  came  slowly  up  and  took 
some  berries  from  the  forest  out  of  my  hand,  immediately  retreat- 
ing: to  his  corner  to  eat  them. 

Daily  attentions  from  me  for  a  fortnight  more  did  not  bring 
me  any  farther  confidence  from  him  than  this.  He  always  snarl- 
ed at  me,  and  only  when  very  hungry  would  he  take  even  his 


DEATH  OF  JOE.  247 

choicest  food  from  my  hands.  At  the  end  of  this  fortnight  I 
came  one  day  to  feed  him,  and  found  that  he  had  gnawed  a  bam- 
boo to  pieces  slyly  and  again  made  his  escape.  Luckily  he  had 
but  just  gone;  for,  as  I  looked  around,  I  caught  sight  of  Master 
Joe  making  off  on  all  fours,  and  with  great  speed,  across  the  little 
prairie  for  a  clump  of  trees.  » 

I  called  the  men  up,  and  we  gave  chase.  He  saw  us,  and  be- 
fore we  could  head  him  off  made  for  another  clump.  This  we 
surrounded.  He  did  not  ascend  a  tree,  but  stood  defiantly  at  the 
border  of  the  wood.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  us  surround- 
ed him.  As  we  moved  up  he  began  to  yell,  and  made  a  sudden 
dash  upon  a  poor  fellow  who  was  in  advance,  who  ran,  tumbled 
down  in  affright,  and,  by  his  fall,  escaped,  but  also  detained  Joe 
sufficiently  long  for  the  nets  to  be  brought  to  bear  upon  him. 

Four  of  us  again  bore  him  struggling  into  the  village.  This 
time  I  would  not  trust  him  to  the  cage,  but  had  a  little  light 
chain  fastened  around  his  neck.  This  operation  he  resisted  with 
all  his  might,  and  it  took  us  quite  an  hour  to  securely  chain  the 
little  fellow,  whose  strength  was  something  marvelous. 

Ten  days  after  he  was  thus  chained  he  died  suddenly.  He  was 
in  good  health,  and  ate  plentifully  of  his  natural  food,  which  was 
brought  every  day  for  him ;  did  not  seem  to  sicken  until  two  days 
before  his  death,  and  died  in  some  pain.  To  the  last  he  contin- 
ued utterly  untamable ;  and,  after  his  chains  were  on,  added  the 
vice  of  treachery  to  his  others.  He  would  come  sometimes  quite 
readily  to  'eat  out  of  my  hand,  but  while  I  stood  by  him  would 
suddenly — looking  me  all  the  time  in  the  face  to  keep  my  atten- 
tion— put  out  his  foot  and  grasp  at  my  leg.  Several  times  he 
tore  my  pantaloons  in  this  manner,  quick  retreat  on  my  part  sav- 
ing my  person ;  till  at  last  I  was  obliged  to  be  very  careful  in  my 
approaches.  The  negroes  could  not  come  near  him  at  all  with- 
out setting  him  in  a  rage.  He  knew  me  very  well,  and  trusted 
me,  but  evidently  always  cherished  a  feeling  of  revenge  even 
toward  me. 

After  he  was  chained,  I  filled  a  half  barrel  with  hay  and  set  it 
near  him  for  his  bed.  He  recognized  its  use  at  once,  and  it  was 
pretty  to  see  him  shake  up  the  hay  and  creep  into  this  nest  when 
he  was  tired.  At  night  he  always  again  shook  it  up,  and  then 
took  some  hay  in  his  hands,  with  which  he  would  cover  himself 
when  he  was  snug  in  his  barrel. 


248 


IIIPPOPOTAMUS-HUXTING. 


On  the  20th  of  May  I  went  up  the  river  about  five  miles  to 
shoot  hippopotami.  There  was  here  a  place  in  the  river  shallow 
enough  for  them  to  stand  in  and  play  around ;  and  here  they  re- 
mained all  day,  playing  in  the  deep  water,  diving,  but  for  the 
most  part  standing  on  the  shallows,  with  only  their  ugly  noses 
pointed  out  of  the  ■water,  and  looking,  for  all  the  world,  exactly 
like  so  many  old  weather-beaten  logs  stranded  on  a  sand-bar. 
We  approached  slowly,  and  with  caution,  to  within  thirty  yards 
of  the  school,  without  seeming  to  attract  the  slightest  attention 
from  the  sluggish  animals.  Stopping  there,  I  fired  five  shots, 
and,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  killed  three  hippopotami.  The  ear  is 
one  of  the  most  vulnerable  spots,  and  this  was  my  mark  every 
time.  The  first  shot  was  received  with  but  little  attention ;  but 
the  struggles  of  the  dying  animal,  which  turned  over  several 
times,  and  finally  sank  to  the  bottom,  seemed  to  rouse  the  herd, 
who  began  to  plunge  about  and  dive  down  into  the  deep  water. 
The  blood  of  my  victims  discolored  the  water  all  around,  and  we 
could  not  see  whether  those  who  escaped  were  not  swimming 
for  us. 

Presently  the  boat  received  a  violent  jar,  and,  looking  over- 
board, we  perceived  that  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  herd.  They 
did  not,  however,  attack  us,  but  were  rather,  I  imagine,  anxious 
to  get  away. ,  We,  too,  pulled  out  of  the  way  as  fast  as  we  could, 
as  I  was  not  anxious  to  be  capsized.  Of  the  dead  animals  we  re- 
covered but  one,  which  was  found  two  days  after  on  a  little  isl- 
and near  the  river's  mouth.  I  think  it  likely  that  the  negroes  se- 
cretly ate  up  the  others  as  they  washed  ashore,  fearing  to  tell  me. 
lest  I  should  claim  the  prizes. 

This  was  such  poor  sport  that  after  Joe  Gorilla  died  I  determ- 
ined to  go  on  a  night  hunt  after  hippopotami.  These  animals 
come  ashore  by  night  to  feed.  As  I  have  said  before,  the  Fernand 
Vaz  runs  for  many  miles  parallel  with  the  sea-shore,  separated 
from  the  sea  by  a  strip  of  sandy  prairie.  On  this  prairie 
river  horses  feed,  and  the  "  walk"  of  a  herd  is  easily  discernible 
at  a  great  distance,  looking  very  much  like  a  regular  beaten  road, 
only  their  immense  tracks  showing  who  are  its  makers.  In  the 
path  no  grass  grows ;  but  the  ground  is  hard,  and  solidly  beaten 
down  by  their  constant  passage  to  and  fro.  It  is  curious  that 
they  will  not  even  leave  such  a  walk  if  they  have  been  attacked 
there,  but  come  back  without  fail.  This  gives  the  hunter  a  great 
advantage. 


A  NIGHT  HUNT. 


249 


We  chose  a  moonlight  night,  and  paddled  up  to  the  vicinity  of 
one  of  these  "  walks,"  where  Igala,  my  hunter,  and  I  set  out  by 
ourselves.  I  had  painted  my  face  with  a  mixture  of  oil  and  soot, 
which  is  a  prudent  measure  in  a  white  hunter  in  Africa,  where 
the  beasts  seem  to  have  a  singularly  quick  eye  for  any  thing 
white.  We  chose  the  leeward  side  of  the  track,  for  the  hippopot- 
amus has  a  very  nice  smell,  and  is  easily  alarmed  at  night,  feeling, 
probably,  that  on  land  his  sluggish  movements  and  huge  bulk 
have  their  disadvantages.  We  lay  down  under  shelter  of  a  bush 
and  watched.  As  yet  none  of  the  animals  had  come  out  of  the 
water.  We  could  hear  them  snorting  and  plashing  in  the  dis- 
tance, their  subdued,  snort-like  roars  breaking  in  upon  the  still 
night  in  a  very  odd  way.  The  moon  was  nearly  down,  and  the 
watch  was  getting  tedious,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  sudden  groan, 
and,  peering  into  the  half  light,  saw  dimly  a  huge  animal,  looking 
doubly  monstrous  in  the  uncertain  light.  It  was  quietly  eating 
grass,  which  it  seemed  to  nibble  off  quite  close. 

There  was  another  bush  between  us  and  our  prey,  and  we 
crawled  up  to  this  in  dead  silence.  Arrived  there,  we  were  but 
about  eight  yards  from  the  great  beast.  The  negroes  who  hunt 
the  hippopotamus  are  sometimes  killed.  The  animal,  if  only 
wounded,  turns  most  savagely  upon  its  assailant ;  and  experience 
has  taught  the  negro  hunters  that  the  only  safe  way  to  approach 
it  is  from  behind.  It  can  not  turn  quickly ;  and  thus  the  hunter 
has  a  chance  to  make  good  his  escape.  This  time  we  could  not 
get  into  a  very  favorable  position ;  but  I  determined  to  have  my 
shot  nevertheless,  eight  yards  being  safe  killing  distance,  even 
with  so  poor  a  light  as  we  had  by  this  time. 

Igala  and  I  both  took  aim.  He  fired ;  and,  without  waiting  to 
see  the  result,  ran  away  as  swiftly  as  a  good  pair  of  legs  could 
carry  him.  I  was  not  quite  ready,  but  fired  the  moment  after 
him ;  and,  before  I  could  get  ready  to  run  —  in  which  I  had  not 
Igala's  practice  —  I  saw  there  was  no  need.  The  beast  tottered 
for  a  moment,  and  then  fell  over  dead. 

This  closed  our  night's  sport,  as  none  of  the  herd  would  come 
this  way  while  their  companion  lay  there.  So  we  returned  home, 
poor  Igala  remonstrating  with  me  for  not  running  as  he  did,  this 
being,  as  it  appeared,  considered  one  of  the  chief  accomplishments 
of  the  hippopotamus-hunter.  Our  good-luck  created  great  joy  in 
the  village,  where  meat  was  scarce.    The  men  went  out  at  day- 


250 


HABITS  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS- 


light  and  skinned  the  prize,  and  brought  in  the  meat  and  hide. 
The  latter  I  stuffed,  and  it  is  now  in  my  collection. 

The  meat  does  not  taste  unlike  beef.  It  is  rather  coarse-grain- 
ed, and  not  fat,  and  makes  a  welcome  and  wholesome  dish.  The 
blacks  are  very  fond  of  it. 

The  hippopotamus  is  found  in  most  of  the  rivers  of  Africa 
which  empty  into  the  Atlantic  or  Indian  Ocean ;  but  in  none  but 
the  Nile  of  those  which  empty  into  the  Mediterranean.  And  in 
the  Nile  it  is  only  met  far  up.  It  is  found  in  greatest  abundance 
south  of  the  equator  and  in  the  interior.  Frequent  as  they  were  in 
the  Fernand  Vaz,  I  found  them  more  numerous  in  the  Ogobay  and 
other  of  the  interior  streams,  and  have  reason  to  believe  that,  in  the 
tar  and  as  yet  unexplored  centre,  they  are  more  numerous  still.  It 
is  a  very  clumsily -built,  unwieldy  animal ;  but  remarkable  chiefly 
for  its  enormous  head,  whose  upper  mandible  seemed  to  me  mov- 
able like  the  crocodile's,  and  for  its  disproportionately  short  legs. 
The  male  is  much  larger  than  the  female ;  indeed,  a  full-grown 
male  sometimes  attains  the  bulk,  though  not  the  height,  of  the 
elephant.  In  the  larger  specimens  the  belly  almost  sweeps  the 
ground  as  they  walk. 

The  feet  are  curiously  constructed,  to  facilitate  his  walking 
among  the  reeds  and  mud  of  the  river-bottoms,  and  swimming 
with  ease.  The  hoof  is  divided  into  four  short,  apparently  clum- 
sy, and  unconnected  toes ;  and  they  are  able,  by  this  spread  of 
foot,  to  walk  rapidly  even  through  mud.  I  have  seen  them  roake 
quick  progress,  when  alarmed,  in  water  so  deep  that  their  backs 
were  just  on  the  river-level. 

The  skin  of  an  adult  hippopotamus  is  from  one  and  a  half  to 
two  inches  thick,  and  extremely  solid  and  tough — quite  bullet- 
proof, in  fact,  except  in  a  few  thinner  spots,  as  behind  the  ear 
and  near  the  eyes.  It  is  devoid  of  hair,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  short  bristly  hairs  in  the  tail,  and  a  few  scattered  tufts,  of  four 
or  five  hairs  each,  near  the  muzzle.  The  color  of  the  skin  is  a 
clayey  yellow,  assuming  a  roseate  hue  under  the  belly.  In  the 
grown  auimal  the  color  is  a  little  darker.    The  teeth  are : 

Incisors,  ^- :  canines,  = — \ ;  molars,  H — H  =  36  in  all. 
'4  '  1 — 1  '  6 — 6 

After  watching  for  a  great  many  times  the  movements  of  the 

hippopotamus,  I  became  assured  that  the  huge  crooked  tusks, 

which  give  their  mouths  so  savage  an  appearance,  are  used  and 


FOOD  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


251 


designed  chiefly  to  hook  up  the  long  river-grasses  on  which  these 
animals  feed  in  great  part.  Often  I  have  seen  one  descend  to  the 
bottom,  remain  a  few  minutes,  and  reappear  with  these  tusks 
strung  with  grass,  which  was  then  leisurely  chewed  up.  They 
make  the  whitest  of  all  ivory :  and  in  the  Camma  country  the 
beasts  are  much  hunted  on  their  account,  as  the  dentists  of  Eu- 
rope make  a  demand  for  this  white  ivory. 

The  animals  consort  together  in  flocks  of  from  three  to  thirty. 
They  choose  shallows  in  the  rivers,  where  the  depth  of  the  water 
allows  them  to  keep  their  footing,  and  yet  have  their  whole  bodies 
submerged.  Here  they  remain  all  day,  swimming  off  into  the 
deeps  and  diving  for  their  grassy  food,  gamboling  in  the  waves, 
and  from  time  to  time  throwing  up  a  stream  of  water  two  or 
three  feet  high.  This  is  done  with  a  noise  like  "  blowing,"  and  is 
doubtless  an  effort  for  breath.  It  is  pleasant  to  watch  a  flock 
peacefully  enjoying  themselves,  particularly  when  they  have  two 
or  three  young  among  them.  The  little  fellows,  who  are  comi- 
cally awkward,  play  about,  their  dams,  and  I  have  often  seen  them 
seated  on  the  back  of  the  mother,  and  chasing  each  other  about 
the  shoals. 

They  prefer  parts  of  the  rivers  where  the  current  is  not  very 
swift,  and  afe  therefore  to  be  found  in  all  lakes  in  the  interior. 
Also,  they  prefer  to*  be  near  their  grass-fields.  They  are  very 
fond  of  a  particular  coarse  grass  which  grows  on  these  prairies, 
and  will  travel  considerable  distances  to  hunt  this  up,  always  re- 
turning, however,  before  daylight.  Their  path  overland  is  very 
direct.  Neither  rocks,  nor  swamps,  nor  bushes  can  prove  formi- 
dable obstacles  to  a  water-beast  of  such  bulk ;  and  one  of  their  pe- 
culiarities is  that  they  will  always  return  to  the  water  by  the  same 
road  they  came.  Unless  much  pursued  and  harassed,  they  are 
not  very  much  afraid  of  man.  Some  of  their  favorite  grass  was 
growing  on  a  little  plain  back  of  my  house,  and  several  times  I 
found  hippopotamus-tracks  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the 
house.  They  had  not  feared  to  come  as  near  as  this,  though, 
probably,  if  the  wind  had  been  from  me  to  them  they  would  have 
avoided  the  place. 

They  always  choose  a  convenient  landing-place,  one  where  the 
bank  has  a  long  and  easy  incline,  and  this  they  use  till  they  have 
eaten  up  all  the  provender  which  lies  in  that  vicinity.  Before 
going  ashore  they  watch  for  an  hour,  and  sometimes  for  two 


252 


COMBATIVENESS  OF  THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 


hours,  near  the  landing,  remaining  quiet  themselves  and  listening 
for  danger.  The  slightest  token  of  the  hunter's  presence  on  such 
occasions  sends  them  away  for  that  night.  If  no  danger  appears, 
they  begin  to  wander  ashore  in  twos  and  threes.  I  never  saw 
more  than  three  of  a  flock  grazing  together ;  and  during  their 
stay  ashore  they  place  more  dependence  on  their  ears  than  on 
their  eyes.  I  have  watched  closely  in  many  hunts,  and  am  con- 
vinced that  the  beast  walks  along  with  his  eyes  nearly  shut. 
This  makes  the  approach  easier,  though  their  hearing  is  very 
quick ;  and  it  is  common  to  get  within  three  or  four  yards  before 
firing.  I  generally  tried  to  get  at  least  as  near  as  four  yards,  and 
found  my  most  successful  aim  to  be  at  a  spot  near  the  shoulder, 
and  one  just  behind  the  ear. 

When  playing  in  the  water  this  animal  makes  a  noise  very 
much  resembling  the  grunt  of  a  pig.  This  grunt  it  also  utters 
when  alarmed  at  the  near  approach  of  man.  The  stuffed  skin 
loses  its  original  color,  so  that  our  stuffed  specimens  do  not  give 
a  true  idea  of  the  clay-color  of  the  live  beast.  Its  excrement  is 
like  the  horse's,  but  smaller  and  dryer. 

When  enraged,  or  suddenly  disturbed,  it  utters  a  kind  of  groan, 
a  hoarse  sound,  which  can  be  heard  at  a  considerable  distance. 
They  are  quite  combative  among  themselves,  and  I  often  saw 
marks  on  their  bodies  of  desperate  conflicts.  One,  a  male  which 
I  killed,  had  its  thick  hide  lacerated  in  a  frightful  manner  in  nu- 
merous stripes,  from  a  fight.  The  young  males  suffer  particular- 
ly in  these  encounters,  as  they  are  much  imposed  upon  by  the 
grown  males,  who  are  jealous  of  them.  Their  principal  weapons 
of  offense  are  their  huge  tusks,  with  which  they  strike  most  savage 
blows. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  witness  once  to  a  combat  be- 
tween two  hippopotami.  It  occurred  in  broad  daylight.  I  was 
concealed  on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  had  been  for  some  time 
watching  the  sports  of  a  herd,  when  suddenly  two  huge  beasts 
rose  to  the  surface  of  the  water  and  rushed  together.  Their  vast 
and  hideous  mouths  were  opened  to  their  widest  possibility ;  their 
eyes  were  flaming  with  rage,  and  every  power  was  put  forth  by 
each  to  annihilate  the  other.  They  seized  each  other  with  their 
jaws ;  they  stabbed  and  punched  with  their  strong  tusks ;  they 
advanced  and  retreated ;  were  now  at  the  top  of  the  water,  and 
again  sank  down  to  the  bottom.    The  blood  discolored  the  river. 


THEIR  1IAEMLESSNESS. 


253 


and  their  groans  of  rage  were  hideous  to  listen  to.  They  showed 
little  powers  of  strategy,  but  rather  a  piggish  obstinacy  in  main- 
taining their  ground,  and  a  frightful  savageness  of  demeanor. 
The  combat  lasted  an  hour.  It  was  evident  that  their  tusks  could 
not  give  very  dangerous  wounds  to  such  thickly -protected  bodies 
as  theirs.  At  last  one  turned  about  and  made  of£x  leaving  the 
other  victorious  and  master  of  the  field. 

My  observations  lead  me  to  believe  that  in  general  the  hippo- 
potamus will  not  wantonly  attack  a  canoe  passing  on  the  river. 
They  either  do  not  seem  to  notice  it  at  all,  or  else  avoid  it  by  div- 
ing under  water.  They  are  troublesome  beasts,  however,  to  the 
traveler  paddling  along  in  a  frail  canoe,  for  they  are  very  apt  to 
rise  suddenly  under  a  boat  and  throw  it  over,  to  their  own  alarm, 
but  to  the  inconvenience  and  danger  of  the  passengers.  In  some 
such  cases  the  huge  beast  becomes  desperate  from  fright,  thinks 
himself  attacked,  and  with  great  rage  demolishes  the  canoe.  But 
even  in  such  cases  I  have  not  heard  of  their  ever  touching  the 
swimming  passengers,  who  have  only  to  keep  away  from  the  ca- 
noe to  make  sure  their  escape.  One  of  my  men  related  an  ad- 
venture of  this  kind  which  happened  to  him  and  others  a  few 
years  ago.  They  were  capsized  by  a  hippopotamus  which  rose 
suddenly  under  their  canoe.  In  an  instant,  and  with  the  greatest 
fury,  the  animal  turned  upon  the  canoe,  which  he  did  not  leave 
till  he  had  broken  it  into  tolerably  small  pieces.  But  he  did  not 
even  seem  to  see  the  men,  who  swam  off,  and  reached  the  shore 
without  hurt. 

The  negroes  hunt  the  hippopotamus  only  with  guns.  In  those 
parts  where  they  have  not  yet  obtained  guns  they  never  attack 
it,  but  leave  it  undisputed  master  of  the  forest  and  river ;  for  they 
can  but  very  seldom  indeed  succeed  in  entrapping  it  into  the  pits 
which  are  dug  for  this  and  some  other  of  the  larger  animals. 


» 


254 


UP  THE  RIVER. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

To  the  Anongue. — Canoes. — River  Scenery. — Nature  of  the  Country. — The  La- 
goons.— Navigation. — India-rubber  Vines. — Mercantile  Products  and  Facilities. 
— Porcupine-hunts. — Quengueza,  the  great  King. — Change  of  Season. — Variety 
in  animal  Life. — Birds  of  Passage. — Fish. — Bee-eater. — Curious  Habits  of  this 
Bird. — Serpents. — The  Rivers  in  the  dry  Season. — The  Lagoons  in  the  dry  Sea- 
son.— Immense  Numbers  of  Crocodiles. — Damagondai. — Witchcraft. — A  Caudle 
Lecture. —  Shimbouvenegani. — An  Olako. — Royal  Costume. —  Discover  a  new 
Ape. — The  Nshiego  Mbouve,  or  nest-building  Ape  (Troglodytes  Calvus). — How 
they  build. — Habits. — Food. — Description  of  the  first  Specimen. — A  Crocodile- 
hunt. — Ancngue  Canoes. — The  Ogata. — Turtle. — How  the  Crocodile  gets  his 
Prey. — A  Fight  looms  up  ahead. — Oshoria  backs  down. — People  of  the  Anen- 
gue. — Family  Idols. — Worship. — Sickness. — Bola  Ivoga. — African  Festivals. — A 
clear  Case  of  Witchcraft. — A  native  Doctor. — Exorcising  a  Witch. — My  Town 
is  deserted. — I  am  made  a  Chief. — We  get  a  second  young  Gorilla. — I  am  poi- 
soned with  Arsenic. — Trial  of  the  Poisoner. — Singular  Effect  of  Arsenic. 

When  poor  Joe  Gorilla  died  I  was  ready  to  go  aliead  upon  my 
explorations  up  river.  The  hope  of  taming  him  kept  me  at  Bia- 
gano  till  then. 

We  were  to  make  a  start  on  the  evening  of  May  27th.  and  on 
that  morning  I  called  king  and  people  together,  and  gave  them 
charge  of  my  property ;  declaring  that  if  any  thing  was  stolen 
during  my  absence  I  would  surely  shoot  the  thief. 

They  all  protested  that  I  need  not  even  lock  the  doors  of  my 
house.  But  I  thought  it  not  best  to  expose  them  to  too  much 
temptation. 

I  next  counted  my  ten  goats  in  their  presence,  and  told  them  I 
wanted  no  leopard  stories  told  me  when  I  came  back — at  which 
they  shouted  and  laughed,  and  declared  neither  they  nor  the 
leopard  should  touch  them.  Then  I  gave  one  of  my  men  some 
goods  to  trade  for  ivory,  another  some  with  which  to  buy  ebony, 
and  left  one  of  my  Mpongwe  fellows  in  charge  of  my  entire  prem- 
ises, locking  the  doors.    And  then  I  was  ready  to  go  off. 

I  had  six  stout  paddlers  in  each  canoe.  These  were  laden  pret- 
ty deeply  with  provisions  for  myself,  and  with  trade-goods  for  the 
people  I  was  to  meet.    My  object  was  on  this  trip  to  ascend  the 


< 


DIFFICULT  NAVIGATION. 


257 


Npoulounay,  a  branch  of  the  Ogobay,  as  far  as  a  great  swampy 
country  which  the  Camma  fellows  were  always  talking  of,  and 
which  no  white  man  had  yet  seen.  The  reader  can  follow  my 
course  on  the  chart. 

We  found  the  Npoulounay  for  the  first  eight  miles  to  run 
through  the  mangrove  swamps,  which  renders  navigation  so  dis- 
agreeable. Above  that  the  banks  became  higher  and  clearer. 
Starting  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  pulled  till  four 
next  morning,  when  all  hands  were  worn  out,  and  we  went 
ashore  on  a  little  island  to  get  a  nap.  But  here  the  musquitoes 
assailed  us  in  such  numbers  that,  though  we  could  stretch  our 
legs,  sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  As  soon  as  daylight  came 
we  were  off  again. 

At  about  sixty  miles  from  Biagano  we  came  to  a  fork  in  the 
river.  We  took  the  right  branch.  A  few  miles  farther  up  there 
was  another  tributary,  which  we  entered,  as  this  led  to  the  lake. 
This  stream  was  here  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  but  with 
very  low,  marshy  banks,  and  no  wood.  Immense  fields  of  reeds 
and  other  water  weeds  covered  the  marshy  soil  as  far  as  we  could 
see  from  our  little  canoe,  and  gave  the  landscape  an  aspect  of  ut- 
ter desolation.  The  stream  had  scarce  any  current,  the  water 
was  turbid,  and  the  smell  of  decaying  vegetation  exceedingly  un- 
pleasant. In  the  far  distance  beyond  the  plains  we  could  seeJhe 
outlines  of  hills  and  higher  plains.  Where  these  join  the  marsh 
crocodiles  are  found  in  great  plenty,  as  I  was  told  now  by  the  na- 
tives, and  found  for  myself  afterward. 

While  I  was  wondering  at  the  change  in  this  sluggish  river 
from  the  rapid-flowing  Ogobay,  we  came  suddenly  to  what  seem- 
ed the  end  of  navigation  in  this  direction.  The  river  was  here 
as  wide  as  at  the  mouth,  but  closed  suddenly.  Paddling  round 
the  shore,  to  try  for  some  possible  outlet,  for  it  would  be  too 
bad  to  have  taken  so  much  trouble  to  get  into  this  nasty  cul- 
de-sac,  we  found  at  length  a  stream,  not  more  than  six  yards 
wide,  which  poured  with  a  tolerably  rapid  current  into  what 
seemed  to  me  now  only  a  lagoon.  Up  this  narrow  avenue  we 
pushed,  much  doubting  where  it  would  lead  us,  for  none  of  my 
men  had  been  here  before,  and  I  was  going  by  guess-work. 

As  we  ascended  the  narrow,  deep  little  stream,  it  branched  off 
in  several  places,  and  became  gradually  narrower,  till  at  last  we 
were  pushing  our  canoe  laboriously  along  through  a  deep,  crook- 

E 


258 


AN  AFRICAN  JOKE. 


cd  ditch,  not  more  than  two  yards  wide,  and  overhung  with  tall 
reeds,  on  which  great  numbers  of  birds  were  balancing  them- 
selves, as  though  enjoying  our  dilemma. 

For  two  hours  we  pushed  along  in  this  way,  and  I  was  upon" 
the  point  of  giving  up  and  returning,  when  we  suddenly  emerged 
into  the  long-looked-for  lake  of  Anengue.  A  vast  body  of  wa- 
ter, at  least  ten  miles  wide,  and  dotted  with  various  beautiful 
wooded  isles,  was  spread  suddenly  before  our  glad  eyes.  We  lay 
on  our  paddles  and  gazed  about  us.  On  one  side  the  lake  is 
bounded  by  hills  which  come  close  down  to  the  shore.  On  the 
other  the  hills  recede,  and  between  them  and  the  water  lies  a 
dreary  extent  of  low  marsh.  Several  towns  were  in  sight,  all  lo- 
cated at  the  summits  of  hills,  and  toward  one  of  these  we  pushed 
with  what  speed  we  could,  for  all  hands  were  tired  and  hungry. 
For  though  we  had  breakfasted  on  bananas  and  sugar-cane  early 
in  the  morning  at  a  deserted  village,  this  is  not  very  substan- 
tial food ;  and  of  meat  none  of  us  had  partaken  since  leaving 
Biagano. 

This  deserted  village  deserves  to  be  mentioned,  if  only  for  a 
cheerful  joke  upon  it  by  one  of  my  men.  It  is  general  in  this 
country  for  the  people  to  leave  their  town  if  the  chief  dies  under 
suspicion  of  having  been  bewitched,  and  such  lonely  huts  and 
abandoned  plantations  are  therefore  common  wherever  the  trav- 
eler goes.  The  natives  in  general  regard  such  with  a  supersti- 
tious fear,  believing  that  the  spirits  of  the  departed  remain  and 
keep  guard  over  the  property  left.  But  my  men  were  "  sick  of 
hunger,"  as  they  call  it,  and  had  now,  from  contact  with  me,  be- 
come somewhat  less  superstitious;  so  that  no  one  refused  to  go 
ashore,  or,  when  there,  to  eat,  as  well  as  we  could  eat  for  the  sav- 
age onslaught  of  the  musquitoes.  While  we  were  grumbling  at 
rinding  so  little  comfort,  one  of  them  said  it  was  evidently  not 
the  spirits  which  had  driven  off  the  people  here,  but  the  musqui- 
toes ;  which  was  thought,  and  was  really,  a  tremendous  joke  for 
this  latitude,  and  set  us  all  into  good-humor  again. 

About  two  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  village  of  King  Damagon- 
dai.  A  great  crowd  was  assembled  to  receive  us,  visitors  not  be- 
ing frequent  here ;  and  when  the  presence  of  a  wonderful  white 
man  became  known,  the  anxiety  of  the  people  to  see  me  knew  no 
bounds.  Quarters  were  provided  for  me  by  the  king,  who  was 
rejoiced  to  see  me,  and  sent  me  a  goat ;  which,  in  this  part  of  the 


* 


GREAT  INDIA-RUBBER  COUNTRY. 


259 


country,  where  they  have  no  tame  cattle,  is  as  much  as  half  a 
dozen  bullocks  would  be  in  South  Africa. 

From  the  1st  to  the  10th  of  June  I  spent  in  exploring  the 
lake  and  its  islands.  I  find  every  where  deep  water  enough  for 
steamers  of  moderate  draught  to  have  free  play,  though  in  the 
dry  season  I  was  told  there  are  a  good  many  shoals,  though  not 
enough,  I  should  think,  to  interfere  with  navigation.  The  whole 
country  around  is  literally  filled  with  the  India-rubber  vine. 
Immense  quantities  of  the  best  caoutchouc  might  here  be  g6t,  and 
with  very  little  trouble,  if  only  the  natives  had  some  one  to  show 
them  how  to  gather  it  without  destroying  the  vines,  and  without 
getting  it  so  mixed  with  impure  matter  as  to  destroy  its  commer- 
cial value.  It  was  enough  to  make  a  trader's  mouth  water  to  see 
the  immense  quantity  of  land  covered  with  this  vine.  Here  are 
chances  for  a  commerce  which  I  think  our  American  merchants 
will  not  long  leave  unworked.  And  then  we  may  hope  to  see  a 
real  and  enduring  civilization  step  in  and  help  these  poor  natives 
upward  a  little. 

For  the  present  they  are  a  lazy  but  good-natured  people  here- 
abouts ;  ready  enough  to  work,  if  they  could  only  be  sure  to  get 
some  pay  for  their  labor,  but  with  little  energy,  because  they  see 
no  possibility  of  a  direct  connection  with  the  sea-shore. 

Game  is  not  very  abundant  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the 
animal  most  hunted  is  a  porcupine.  They  hunt  with  dogs,  who 
track  the  truculent  little  beast  to  its  lair  or  burrow,  whence  it  is 
dug  out  by  the  men.  The  hunt  was  too  laborious  to  be  counted 
sport,  though  the  natives  seemed  to  enjoy  it  amazingly.  The  dogs 
hunted  by  scent,  and  never  barked  at  a  deserted  hole. 

The  porcupine  is  only  found  at  the  foot  of  the  range  of  hills 
which  rises  about  ten  miles  from  the  village  I  was  stopping  at. 
Here  it  burrows  among  the  huge  boulders  which  cover  the 
ground.  Several  times  we  came  upon  them  wandering  about, 
and  shot  them  outright.  I  noticed  that  the  dogs  were  very  care- 
ful not  to  touch  the  animal  till  they  were  sure  it  was  dead,  hav- 
ing probably  had  sad  experience  of  its  sharp  spines. 

It  is  as  well  to  add  here  that,  though  most  of  the  West  African 
villages  have  crowds  of  dogs,  I  could  never  learn  of  a  case  of  hy- 
drophobia, nor  did  the  natives  even  know  of  such  a  disease  as 
madness  in  dogs. 

While  on  a  porcupine-hunt  the  tube  of  one  of  my  guns  was  ac- 


260 


KING  QUENGUEZA. 


cidentally  broken,  and  on- June  10th  I  had  the  misfortune  to 
break  my  remaining  gun  by  a  vexatious  accident  in  hunting  a 
marabout.  I  had  wounded  the  bird,  and  was  running  after  it, 
but  it  could  run  faster  than  L  When  quite  near  it,  in  my  eager- 
ness I  struck  at -it  with  my  gun,  missed  my  aim,  and  shattered 
the  stock  and  bent  the  barrel  on  a  stone.  This  made  it  necessary 
to  return  to  Biagano. 

My  coming  back  was  fortunate,  for  in  a  few  days  after  came  a 
high  a\id  mighty  visitor  from  far  up  the  River  Rembo.  King 
Quengueza,  of  whom  I  had  often  heard  from  the  Camma  men, 
lives  up  the  Rembo  about  ninety  miles,  and  is  sovereign  over  a 
large  tribe  of  people.  He  was  a  man  whom  I  had  not  even  hoped 
to  see  here,  and  whose  influence  and  friendship  I  was  very  glad 
to  have.  He  came  down  in  considerable  state,  in  three  canoes, 
with  three  of  his  favorite  wives,  and  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men.  "When  he  saw  me  he  was  much  astonished,  and  said 
he  had  heard  of  me  for  a  great  hunter,  and  had  expected  to  see  a 
tall  and  stout  man,  and  not  such  a  feeble  body  as  mine.  He  was 
now  convinced,  he  said,  that  I  must  have  a  brave  heart,  to  hunt 
as  I  did. 

Fortunately  the  king  and  I  could  talk  together  without  an  in- 
terpreter, so  that  I  did  not  need  any  rascally  Camma  to  confound 
my  words  and  misrepresent  my  wishes,  as  they  are  apt  to  do,  not 
caring  to  have  white  men  trade  with  the  interior,  or  even  ex- 
plore it. 

He  told  me  there  were  plenty  of  gorilla  and  nschiegos  in  his 
country,  and  that  if  I  would  come  I  should  have  liberty  and  pro- 
tection to  hunt  and  do  what  I  pleased.  I  was  ready  to  go  imme- 
diately, but  he  said  the  fall  of  the  rainy  season  would  be  the  best 
time,  and  so  I  put  it  off. 

I  sent  the  kind-hearted  old  fellow  off  well  contented,  with  his 
canoes  full  of  presents  of  iron  bars,  brass  rods,  etc.,  and  about  one 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  goods  on  trust  to  buy  me  ebon}-  with. 
He  promised  me  great  sport,  and  an  introduction  to  some  tribes 
of  whom  even  these  Camma  knew  nothing,  and  who  are.  there- 
fore, beyond  even  their  ultima  thule.  To  do  him  greater  honor, 
my  people  fired  a  salute  as  he  started  off,  with  which  he  was 
highly  delighted — as  an  African  is  sure  to  be  with  noise. 

The  dry  season  was  now  setting  in  in  earnest,  and  I  devoted 
the  whole  month  of  July  to  exploring  the  country  along  the  sea- 


THE  COAST  IN  THE  DRY  SEASON. 


261 


shore.  It  is  curious  that  most  of  the  birds  which  were  so  abun- 
dant during  the  rainy  season  had  by  this  time  taken  their  leave, 
and  other  birds,  in  immense  numbers,  nocked  in  to  feed  on  the 
fish,  which  now  leave  the  sea-shore  and  the  bars  of  the  river- 
mouth  and  ascend  the  river  to  spawn. 

The  breakers  on  the  shore  were  now  frightful  to  see.  The 
coast  was  rendered  inaccessible  by  them  even  to  the  natives,  and 
the  surf  increased  to  that  degree  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  even, 
that  it  was  difficult  to  enter  with  a  canoe.  Strong  breezes  pre- 
vailed, and,  though  the  sky  was  constantly  overcast,  no  drop  of 
rain  fell.  The  thermometer  fell  sometimes  to  64°  of  Fahrenheit, 
and  I  suffered  from  cold,  as  did  also  the  poor  natives,  who  make 
no  provision  of  thick  clothing  for  such  weather,  though  it  is  the 
same  every  year.  The  grass  on  the  prairies  was  dried  up  to  pow- 
der. The  ponds  are  dried  up ;  only  the  woods  keep  their  resplen- 
dent green. 

At  this  season  the  negroes  leave  their  villages  and  work  on  their 
plantations.  Biagano  was  almost  deserted ;  all  hands  were  on 
their  farms ;  the  women  harvesting  the  crop  of  ground-nuts,  one 
of  the  staples  of  this  country,  and  the  men  building  canoes  and 
idling  around.  Their  farms  are  necessarily  at  some  distance  off, 
as  the  sandy  prairie  is  not  fit  to  cultivate,  being  only,  in  fact,  a  de- 
posit of  the  sea. 

Fish,  particularly  mullet,  were  so  abundant  in  the  river  that 
sometimes,  when  I  took  my  evening  constitutional  in  a  canoe  on 
the  water,  enough  mullet  leaped  into  the  boat  to  furnish  me  a 
breakfast  next  day. 

Birds  flocked  in  immense  numbers  on  the  prairies,  whither  they 
came  to  hatch  out  their  young. 

The  ugly  marabouts,  from  whose  tail  our  ladies  get  the  splendid 
feathers  for  their  bonnets,  were  there  in  thousands.  Pelicans 
waded  on  the  river-banks  all  day  in  prodigious  swarms,  gulping 
down  the  luckless  fish  which  came  in  their  way.  I  loved  to  see 
them  swimming  about  in  grave  silence,  and  every  while  grabbing 
up  a  poor  fish,  which,  if  not  hungry,  they  left  in  their  huge  bag, 
till  sometimes  three  or  four  pounds  of  reserve  food  thus  awaited 
the  coming  of  their  appetite. 

And  on  the  sandy  point,  one  morning,  I  found  great  flocks  of 
the  Ibis  religiosa  (the  sacred  Ibis  of  the  Egyptians),  which  had  ar- 
rived over  night,  from  whence  I  could  not  tell. 


262 


NATURE  IN  THE  DRY  SEASON. 


Ducks  of  various  kinds  built  their  nests  in  every  creek  and  on 
every  new  islet  that  appeared  with  the  receding  waters.  I  used 
to  hunt  these  till  I  got  tired  of  duck  meat,  fine  as  it  is.  Cranes, 
too,  and  numerous  other  water-fowl  flocked  in,  every  day  bringing 
new  birds.  All  come,  by  some  strange  instinct,  to  feed  upon  the 
vast  shoals  of  fish  which  literally  filled  the  river. 

On  the  sea-shore  I  sometimes  caught  a  bird,  the  Sula  capensis, 
which  had  been  driven  ashore  by  the  treacherous  waves  to  which 
it  had  trusted  itself,  and  could  not,  for  some  mysterious  reason,  get 
away  again. 

And,  finally,  every  sand-bar  is  covered  with  gulls,  whose  shrill 
•screams  are  heard  from  morning  till  night  as  they  fly  about  greed- 
ily after  their  finny  prey.  It  is  a  splendid  time  now  for  sports- 
men ;  and  I  thought  of  some  of  my  New  York  friends  who  would 
have  enjoyed  such  great  plenty  of  game  as  was  now  here. 

Land  birds  are  equally'plenty ;  but  I  have  time  to  enumerate 
only  one  curious  species.  This  is  the  bee-eater,  of  which  I  dis- 
covered two  new  species.  One  of  these — the  Meropicus  bicolor — 
is  a  splendid  little  fellow,  whose  breast,  of  a  gorgeous  roseate  hue, 
looks  as  he  flies  about  like  a  lump  of  fire.  Both  these  birds  feed 
on  bees  and  flies,  and  are  remarkable  for  the  nests  they  build. 
These  are  holes  in  the  ground,  always  on  the  edge  of  some  bank 
or  acclivity,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  deep.  Great  numbers  of 
these  nests  are  found  in  every  hill-side,  and  in  these  they  sleep  at 
night. 

Serpents  are  not  so  common  as  in  the  rainy  season,  but  do  not 
altogether  abandon  the  country,  as  I  had  reason  to  discover  one 
night.  I  had  retired  to  rest,  but  was  roused  by  a  tremendous 
fluttering  among  my  chickens.  I  rushed  out  immediately  to 
catch  a  thief,  but  found  nobody ;  and,  as  the  houses  were  not 
broken  into,  returned  to  my  own  room,  thinking  it  was  only  a 
false  alarm.  But  I  was  no  sooner  in  than  I  rushed  out  again,  for. 
in  the  dim  light,  I  found  myself  upon  the  point  of  stepping  upon 
a  huge  black  snake  which  had  come  in  during  my  absence.  I 
had  my  gun  in  my  hand,  and  lost  no  time  in  blowing  his  head  to 
pieces  with  cold  lead.  He  was  ten  feet  long,  and  of  a  kind  whose 
bite  is  said  by  the  negroes  to  be  mortal.  The  hideous  beast  was 
just  swallowing  one  of  my  chickens  when  I  killed  it.  It  had 
been  among  the  fowls,  which  accounted  for  the  noise  I  heard. 
The  negroes  rushed  in  when  they  heard  the  report  of  my  gun. 


TO  THE  ANENGUE  AGAIN. 


263 


and  with  great  joy  cut  off  the  head  of  their  enemy.  This  was 
thrown  into  the  river,  but  the  slaves  cooked  the  body  and  ate  it. 

As  Quengeza  could  not  be  visited  till  the  rainy  season  returned. 
I  determined  to  make  another  trip  to  the  Anengue  country ;  and 
to  this  I  was  the  more  induced,  as  I  wished  to  ascertain  what 
chances  there  were  for  steam  navigation  in  the  dry  season,  when 
the  water  is  at  its  lowest.  At  high  water  it  is  deep  enough  all 
the  way  up. 

Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  August,  I  started,  with  the  canoe? 
and  a  crew  well-armed,  for  fear  we  might  be  interrupted,  as  some 
of  the  people  come  up  this  way  to  make  plantations  in  the  dry 
season,  and  might  dispute  our  advance.  I  determined  to  let  no 
man  bar  the  road  to  me.  I  found  the  Npoulounay  shallower,  but 
yet  quite  practicable  for  a  steamer  of  light  draught ;  and  when 
we  got  into  the  Ogobay  the  water  was  still  deeper — this  being  in 
every  way  a  nobler  stream.  Yet  there  is  a  difference  in  the  depth 
of  the  Ogobay  between  dry  and  rainy  seasons  of  about  fifteen 
feet.  Now  the  river  was  covered  with  muddy  islands,  left  dry 
and  covered  with  reeds ;  among  which  sported  the  flamingo — a 
bird  not  seen  here  in  the  wet  season.  All  these  reedy  islets  were 
submerged  when  I  passed  up  last  May. 

There  are  curiously  few  villages  between  Biagano  and  the 
Anengue — we  counted  but  seven;  and  yet  the  country  seems 
habitable  enough.  I  was  struck  with  the  immense  height  of 
some  of  the  palm-trees  which  lined  the  banks.  They  were  really 
giants,  even  in  these  primitive  woods. 

We  slept  the  first  night  on  an  island  in  the  Ogobay,  under  our 
musquito-nets,  of  which  I  had  laid  in  a  store.  These  nets,  which 
the  natives  also  use,  are  made  of  a  grass-cloth  which  comes  from 
the  far  interior,  and  which  is  too  thick  to  be  comfortable  in  the 
house,  but  does  very  well  out-doors,  where  it  keeps  out  the  dews 
as  well,  and  protects  the  sleeper  against  the  cold  winds  which  pre- 
vail. The  next  morning  I  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  fog  in  this 
part  of  Africa.    It  was  very  thick,  but  the  sun  soon  drove  it  off. 

I  sent  out  my  net,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  men  caught  fish 
enough  for  supper  and  breakfast.. 

The  low  banks  of  the  Ogobay  were  now  dry,  and  covered  with 
reeds.  The  river  ran  in  its  regular  channel,  and  was  about  four- 
teen or  fifteen  fegt  lower  than  last  May,  though  still  practicable  for 
light-draught  steamers.    These  low  banks,  which  are  submerged 


264 


CROCODILES. 


in  the  rainy  season,  will  make  splendid  rice-fields  when  all  this 
country  comes  to  be  civilized.  Here  might  be  grown  rice  enough 
to  supply  all  the  country  round,  even  if  thickly  settled. 

Coming  to  where  the  Ogobay  is  divided  by  an  island  into  two 
channels,  we  took  the  one  I  passed  last  May,  but  found  ourselves 
nearly  stopped  by  a  sand-bank  which  reached  clear  across,  and 
had  but  three  feet  of  water  on  it.  But  it  was  a  narrow  bar,  and 
could  be  easily  cut  in  two.  Then  we  entered  the  Anengue ;  but 
this  river  we  found  entirely  changed  from  last  May.  Then  it  was 
a  deep,  swift  stream ;  now  its  surface  was  dotted  with  numberless 
black  mud-banks,  on  which  swarmed  incredible  numbers  of  croco- 
diles. We  actually  saw  many  hundreds  of  these  disgusting  mon- 
sters sunning  themselves  on  the  black  mud,  and  slipping  off  into 
the  water  to  feed.  I  never  saw  so  horrible  a  sight.  Many  were 
at  least  twenty  feet  long ;  and,  when  they  opened  their  frightful 
mouths,  looked  capable  of  swallowing  our  little  canoes  without 
trouble. 

I  determined  to  have  a  shot  at  these  beasts,  who  seemed  noways 
frighted  at  our  approach.  Making  my  men  paddle  pretty  well 
in,  I  singled  out  the  biggest  of  a  school,  and  lodged  a  ball  in  his 
body  by  way  of  the  joints  of  his  fore  legs,  where  the  thick  armor 
is  defective.  He  tumbled  over,  and,  after  struggling  in  the  water 
for  a  moment,  sank  into  the  mud.  His  companions  turned  their 
hideous  snaky  eyes  down  at  him  in  momentary  surprise,  but  did 
not  know  what  to  make  of  it,  and  dropped  back  to  their  sluggish 
comfort.  I  shot  another,  but  he  sank  also ;  and  as  my  men  did 
not  like  to  venture  into  the  black  mud  after  them,  we  got  nei- 
ther. 

When  we  came  to  the  narrow  and  intricate  channel  of  last  May. 
we  found,  to  my  surprise,  a  tremendous  current  running.  Last 
May  the  water  of  the  lake  had  overflowed  its  shores,  and  its  reg- 
ular outlets  had,  therefore,  no  great  pressure  upon  them.  Now 
this  outlet  was  crowded  with  water,  which  rushed  through  at  such 
a  rate  that,  at  some  of  the  turns  in  the  crooked  channel,  we  were 
actually  swept  back  several  times  before  we  could  make  our  way 
good.  At  one  point,  where  two  outlets  joined,  we  could  not  pass 
till  I  made  the  men  smoke  their  condouquai  (a  long  reed  pipe), 
which  seems  to  give  them  new  vigor,  and  gave  them  also  a  swal- 
low of  my  brandy.  This  done,  they  gave  a  greaj  shout  and  push- 
ed through ;  and,  in  a  short  hour,  we  emerged  upon  the  lake. 


* 


THE  LAKE.  265 

The  lake,  alas !  had  changed  with  the  season,  too.  It  was  still 
a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  and  good  enough  for  navigation.  But 
all  over  its  placid  face  the  dry  season  had  brought  out  an  erup- 
tion of  those  black  mud  islands  which  we  had  noticed  below ; 
and  on  these  reposed,  I  fear  to  say  what  numbers  of  crocodiles. 
Wherever  the  eye  was  turned  these  disgusting  beasts,  with  their 
dull  leer  and  huge,  savage  jaws,  appeared  in  prodigious  numbers. 
The  water  was  alive  with  fish,  on  which  I  suppose  the  crocodiles 
bad  fat  living.  But  pelicans  and  herons,  ducks,  and  other  wa- 
ter-birds also  abounded,  drawn  hither  by  the  abundance  of  their 
prey. 

Paddling  carefully  past  great  numbers  of  crocodiles,  into  whose 
ready  jaws  I  was  by  no  means  anxious  to  fall,  and  past  several 
native  villages,  we  at  last  reached  the  town  of  my  old  friend  Da- 
magondai,  who  stood  upon  the  shore  ready  to  receive  me.  He 
was  dressed  in  the  usual  middle-cloth  of  the  natives,  and  a  tar- 
nished scarlet  soldier-coat,  but  was  innocent  of  trowsers.  But  his 
welcome  was  none  the  less  hearty,  if  the  unmentionables  were 
lacking. 

His  town,  which  contains  about  fifty  huts,  lies  on  some  high 
ground  at  a  little  distance  from  the  water ;  and  the  people  came 
to  meet  us  on  the  shady  walk  which  connects  them  with  the  lake. 
Every  body  seemed  glad  to  see  us.  I  distributed  presents  of  to- 
bacco, gave  the  king  some  cloth,  and  put  him  in  a  good-humor,  * 
though  he  could  scarce  forgive  me  for  not  bringing  him  rum  also. 
I  noticed  in  the  middle  of  the  village  a  strongly-built  goat-house, 
which  is  a  sign  that  leopards  sometimes  come  this  way. 

Damagondai  put  all  his  town  at  my  disposal,  and  suggested 
that  I  had  better  pick  out  two  or  three  of  the  best-looking  girls 
for  wives  for  myself.  He  was  somewhat  amazed  when  I  declined 
this  pleasant  offer,  and  insisted  upon  it  that  my  bachelor  life  must 
be  very  lonely*  and  disagreeable. 

The  king  is  a  tall,  rather  slim  negro,  over  six  feet  high,  and 
well  put  together,  as  most  of  these  men  are.  I  suppose,  in  war  or 
in  the  chase,  he  had  the  usual  amount  of  courage,  but  at  home  he 
was  exceedingly  superstitious.  As  night  came  on  he  seemed  to 
get  a  dread  of  death.  He  grew  querulous  ;  told  the  men  to  stop 
their  noise ;  and  at  last  began  to  groan  out  that  some  of  the  peo- 
ple wanted  to  bewitch  him  in  order  to  get  his  property  and  his 
authority.    Finally  he  got  excited,  and  began  to  curse  all  witches 


266  A  NIGHT  WITH  AN  AFRICAN  KING. 

and  sorcerers ;  said  no  one  should  have  his  wives  and  slaves ;  and. 
in  fact,  became  so  maudlin  that  I  interfered,  and  declared  there 
were  no  witches,  and  his  fears  were  absurd. 

Of  course,  I  received  the  stereotyped  answer,  "  There  may  be 
none  among  your  white  people ;  but  it  is  very  different  among  us. 
because  we  have  known  many  men  who  were  bewitched  and 
died."  To  such  an  argument  there  is  no  reply.  They  always  in- 
sist that  we  are  a  distinct  race,  and  have  few  things  in  common 
with  them.  Those  ethnologists  who  hold  to  diversity  of  races  of 
men  would  receive  readier  credence  here  in  savage  Africa  than 
they  have  in  America  or  Europe. 

When  my  objections  had  been  settled,  the  old  fellow  began  to 
lecture  his  wives,  telling  them  to  love  him  and  to  feed  him  well, 
for  he  had  given  a  great  deal  of  money  and  goods  to  their  parents 
for  them,  and  they  were  a  constant  expense  and  uneasiness  to  him ; 
to  all  which  the  poor  women  listened  with  great  respect ;  and  no 
doubt  made  up  their  grateful  hearts  to  give  their  lord  and  master 
a  good  breakfast  next  morning. 

At  last  this  dreariest  of  African  nights  got  too  slow  for  the  peo- 
ple, who  suddenly  struck  up  a  dance  and  forgot  all  about  witch- 
craft.   And  I,  too,  was  tired,  and  went  to  my  dreams. 

The  Anengue  people,  though  they  intermarry  with  their  neigh- 
bors the  Camma,  are  not  permitted  to  come  down  to  the  sea-shore 
for  trade.  This  would  disturb  the  monopoly,  and  monopoly  is 
the  most  sacred  thing  in  West  Africa.  The  consequence  is  thaT 
they  have  no  energy  or  life  among  them.  They  are  idle,  and  he 
about  doing  absolutely  nothing  day  after  day.  Once  in  a  great 
while  they  kill  an  elephant  and  dispatch  its  tusks  down  to  the 
sea ;  but  the  small  returns  they  get,  after  the  Camma  have  taken 
off  their  rascally  percentage,  does  not  encourage  them  to  trade. 
They  are  not  great  hunters,  the  vast  shoals  of  fish  in  the  lake 
giving  them  a  sufficiency  of  food  without  hunting  for  it.  They 
also  eat  the  meat  of  crocodiles,  which  they  harpoon  with  a  rude 
kind  of  jagged  spear.  During  my  stay  I  and  my  crew  lived  al- 
most entirely  on  fish,  which  were  caught  in  a  net  I  had  brought 
along.  There  is  one  fine  fish,  called  the  condo,  which  is  really 
delicious,  and  fit  for  the  table  of  the  finest  gourmand. 

On  the  5th,  the  next  day  after  our  arrival,  Damagondai  took 
me  across  the  lake  to  the  village  of  one  Shimbouvenegani,  a  king 
with  a  long  name  and  a  small  village,  who  fives  fifteen  miles  off. 


KING  SHIMBOUVENEGANI. 


267 


:it  the  eastern  end  of  the  lake.  I  found  the  water  now  very  shal- 
low in  places,  though  affording  passage  still  for  light-draught  ves- 
sels. The  little  islets  were  quite  numerous.  On  the  hills  which 
formed  the  boundary  of  the  lagoon  at  high  water,  I  saw  plenty  of 
ebony-trees  on  the  side  I  had  not  before  visited.  Thus  ebony  and 
India-rubber  are  both  to  be  got  here. 

We  found  the  king  with  the  long  name  not  at  his  village,  but 
at  his  olalco,  a  place  temporarily  erected  in  the  woods  when  a  vil- 
lage wants  to  hunt,  or  fish,  or  pursue  agriculture.  They  had 
chosen  a  charming  spot  in  the  woods  just  upon  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  which  here  had  high  abrupt  banks,  and  looked  more  like  a 
pleasant  river  than  a  lagoon.  Their  musquito-nets  were  hung  up 
under  the  trees,  and  every  family  had  a  fire  built,  and  from  the 
pots  came  the  fragrant  smell  of  plantains  and  fish  cooking.  We 
were  seated  at  a  rude  table,  and  presently  Shimbouvenegani  came 
HP,  rejoiced  to  see  me.  The  usual  ceremony  of  introduction  was 
gone  through,  Damagondai  relating  that  he  had  brought  his  white 
man  over  here  because  game  was  plenty,  and  to  do  a  favor  to  his 
friend  the  king. 

The  latter  was  a  meagre  negro  of  between  sixty  and  seventy  years 
old,  dressed  in  a  very  dirty  swallow-tailed  coat,  and  what  was — 
so  I  judged — some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  a  silk  or  beaver  hat. 
This  is  an  article  which  only  kings  are  permitted  to  wear  in  West 
Africa,  and  my  friend  the  king  seemed  very  proud  of  it.  His 
dress  did  not  amount  to  much,  from  the  New  York  stand-point, 
but  I  doubt  not  it  had  cost  him  several  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
ivory — and  so  he  had  a  fashionably-recognized  right  to  feel  that 
his  appearance  was  "the  thing." 

The  people  gathered  about  to  examine  my  hair — that  constant 
marvel  to  the  interior  negroes ;  and  presently  some  large  pots  of 
palm  wine  were  brought,  on  which  all  hands  proceeded  to  cele- 
brate my  arrival  among  them.  I  added  some  tobacco,  and  then 
their  happiness  was  complete. 

Meantime  Damagondai  had  presented  me  to  his  eldest  son, 
Okabi,  who  lived  in  this  village.  It  is  curious  that  the  eldest  son 
of  a  chief  always  lives  abroad  in  this  country.  Okabi  hurried  off' 
to  fix  a  little  privacy  of  tree-branches  for  my  use,  put  up  a  table 
for  me,  and  arranged  his  dkoho  or  bed  for  my  sleeping ;  then  gave 
me  in  charge  to  his  two  wives,  who  were  to  take  care  of  me. 

It  was  charming  weather,  and  I  enjoyed  all  this  very  much. 


268 


THE  NSIIIEGO  MBOUVE. 


The  next  morning  Shimbouvenegani  sent  me  some  plantains 
and  a  quantity  of  sugar-cane  by  the  hands  of  a  young  black 
woman,  who  bore  also  the  message  that  she  was  to  be  my 
wife.  I  had  to  decline  the  matrimonial  proposal,  which  seemed 
to  grieve  the  black  nymph,  while  her  royal  master  was  merely 
surprised,  but  evidently  thought  that  it  was  right  I  should  do  as 
I  pleased. 

This  day  we  went  out  on  a  hunt — one  of  those  hunts  which  are 
marked  with  the  brightest  of  red  ink  in  my  calendar.  On  this 
day  I  discovered  a  new  and  very  curious  ape.  We  had  been 
traveling  some  hours,  when  we  came  upon  a  male  and  female  of 
the  Bos  braclucheros.  I  shot  the  bull,  a  splendid  fellow,  who  fur- 
nished us  dinner  and  supper.  After  dinner  we  marched  on,  and 
had  a  weary  time  of  it  for  some  hours,  the  ground  being  swampy 
and  no  game  in  sight.  As  I  was  trudging  along,  rather  tired  of 
the  sport,  I  happened  to  look  up  at  a  high  tree  which  we  weje 
passing,  and  saw  a  most  singular-looking  shelter  built  in  its 
branches.  I  asked  Aboko  whether  the  hunters  here  .had  this 
way  to  sleep  in  the  woods,  but  was  told,  to  my  surprise,  that  this 
very  ingenious  nest  was  built  by  the  nshiego  mbouve,  an  ape,  as  I 
found  afterward,  which  I  put  in  the  genus  Troglodytes,  and  called 
Troglodytes  calvus  ;  an  animal  which  had  no  hair  on  its  head — so 
Okabi  told  me. 

I  saw  at  once  that  I  was  on  the  trail  of  an  animal  till  now 
unknown  to  the  civilized  world.  A  naturalist  will  appreciate  the 
joy  which  filled  me  at  this  good  fortune.  I  no  longer  felt  tired, 
but  pushed  on  with  renewed  ardor  and  with  increased  caution, 
determined  not  to  rest  till  I  killed  this  nest-building  ape.  One 
such  discovery  pays  the  weary  naturalist-hunter  for  many  months 
of  toil  and  hardship.  I  felt  already  rewarded  for  all  the  incon- 
veniences and  expenses  of  my  Camma  trip.  I  have  noticed  that 
it  is  always  at  the  most  unexpected  moment  that  such  a  piece  of 
luck  befalls  a  poor  fellow. 

I  saw  many  of  these  nests  after  this,  and  may  as  well  say  here 
that  they  are  generally  built  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  invariably  on  a  tree  which  stands  a  little  apart  from 
others,  and  which  has  no  limbs  below  the  one  on  which  the  nest 
is  placed.  I  have  seen  them  at  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  but  very 
seldom.  This  choice  is  probably  made  that  they  may  be  safe  at 
night  from  beasts,  serpents,  and  falling  limbs.    They  build  only 


NBHIEGO  EOtTVE  TS  ITS  NEST. 


HABITS  OF  THE  NSHIEGO. 


271 


in  the  loneliest  parts  of  the  forest,  and  are  very  shy,  and  seldom 
seen  even  by  the  negroes. 

Okabi,  who  was  an  old  and  intelligent  hunter,  was  able  to  tell 
me  that  the  male  and  female  together  gather  the  material  for  their 
nests.  This  material  is  leafy  branches  with  which  to  make  the 
roof,  and  vines  to  tie  these  branches  to  the  tree.  The  tying  is 
done  so  neatly,  and  the  roof  is  so  well  constructed,  that  until  I 
saw  the  nshiego  actually  occupying  his  habitation,  I  could  scarce 
persuade  myself  that  human  hands  had  not  built  all.  It  sheds 
rain  perfectly,  being  neatly  rounded  on  top  for  this  purpose. 

The  material  being  collected,  the  male  goes  up  and  builds  the 
nest,  while  the  female  brings  him  the  branches  and  vines.  The 
male  and  female  do  not  occupy  the  same  tree,  but  have  nests  not 
far  apart. 

From  all  I  have  observed,  I  judge  that  the  nshiego  is  not  gre- 
garious. The  nests  are  never  found  in  companies ;  and  I  have 
seen  even  quite  solitary  nests  occupied  by  verji  old  nshiegos, 
whose  silvery  hair  and  worn  teeth  attested  their  great  age.  These 
seemed  hermits  who  had  retired  from  the  nshiego  world. 

They  live  on  wild  berries,  and  build  their  houses  where  they 
find  these.  When  they  have  consumed  all  that  a  particular  spot 
affords,  they  remove  and  build  new  houses,  so  that  a  nest  is  not 
inhabited  for  more  than  eight  or  ten  days. 

"We  traveled  with  great  caution,  not  to  alarm  our  prey,  and  had 
a  hope  that,  singling  out  a  shelter  and  waiting  till  dark,  we  should 
find  it  occupied.  In  this  hope  we  were  not  disappointed.  Lying 
quite  still  in  our  concealment  (which  tried  my  patience  sorely), 
we  at  last,  just  at  dusk,  heard  the  loud  peculiar  "Hew!  Hew! 
Hew !"  which  is  the  call  of  the  male  to  his  mate.  "We  waited  till 
it  was  quite  dark,  and  then  I  saw  what  I  had  so  longed  all  the 
weary  afternoon  to  see.  A  nshiego  was  sitting  in  his  nest.  His 
feet  rested  on  the  lower  branch  ;  his  head  reached  quite  into  the 
little  dome  of  a  roof,  and  his  arm  was  clasped  firmly  about  the 
tree-trunk.    This  is  their  way  of  sleeping. 

After  gazing  till  I  was  tired  through  the  gloom  at  my  poor 
sleeping  victim,  two  of  us  fired,  and  the  unfortunate  beast  fell  at 
our  feet  without  a  struggle,  or  even  a  groan. 

We  built  a  fire  at  once,  and  made  our  camp  in  this  place, 
that  when  daylight  came  I  might  first  of  all  examine  and  skin 
my  prize.    The  poor  ape  was  hung  up,  to  be  out  of  the  way 


272 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  NSHH3GO. 


of  the  bashikouay  and  other  insects,  and  I  fell  asleep  on  im- 
bed of  leaves  and  grass,  as  pleased  a  man  as  the  world  could 
well  hold. 

Next  morning  I  had  a  chance  to  examine  the  nshiego.  I  was 
at  once  struck  with  the  points  of  difference  between  it  and  the 
chimpanzee.  It  was  somewhat  smaller  than  the  chimpanzee  I 
had  killed ;  but  its  great  distinction  was  its  bald  head.  This  is 
its  mark.  This  specimen  was  3  feet  11  inches  high  or  long.  It 
was  an  adult.  Its  skin,  where  there  is  no  hair,  is  black,  in  its 
natural  state.  The  throat,  breast,  and  abdomen  are  covered  with 
short,  and  rather  thin  blackish  hair.  On  the  lower  part  of  the 
abdomen  the  hair  is  thinnest;  but  this  is  not  perceived  unless 
looked  at  carefully,  as  the  skin  is  the  color  of  the  hair.  On  the 
legs  the  hair  is  of  a  dirty  gray  mixed  with  black. 


NSHIEGO  MBOCY£  (YOCKG). 


The  shoulders  and  back  have  black  hair  between  two  and  three 
i   inches  long,  mixed  with  a  little  gray.    The  arms,  down  to  the 
wrist,  have  also  long  black  hair,  but  the  hands  are  covered  with 
gray  hair.    The  hair  is  much  thinner,  in  general,  than  on  the  go- 
rilla, and  the  skin  is  not  so  tough.    I  noticed  that  the  bare  place.-. 


A  CROCODILE  HUNT. 


273 


where  the  hair  is  worn  off  by  contact  with  hard  substances  in 
sleeping,  were  different  from  the  bare  places  which  are  so  con- 
spicuous on  the  chimpanzee. 
.  There  is  a  yet  greater  difference  between  this  animal  and  the 
gorilla.  It  is  not  nearly  so  powerful  as  that  monster.  Its  chest 
is  of  far  less  capacity ;  its  muscular  development  is  not  on  the 
same  prodigious  scale ;  its  arm  is  much  longer ;  and  the  fingers 
of  the  gorilla  are  not  only  shorter,  but  also  much  more  powerful 
than  those  of  the  milder  nshiego.  There  is  also  a  similar  differ- 
ence in  the  fingers  of  the  feet.  The  largest  nshiego  I  shot  meas- 
ured a  few  inches  over  four  feet  in  height,  and  its  spread  of  arms 
was  quite  seven  feet. 

The  hair  of  the  nshiego  is  blacker,  longer,  and  glossier  than 
that  of  the  gorilla.  The  latter  has  his  head  covered  with  hair, 
while  the  former  is  bald,  both  male  and  female.  The  nose  of  the 
nshiego  is  not  so  prominent  as  the  gorilla's;  the  mouth  is  wider; 
the  ears  are  much  larger ;  the  chin  is  rounder  than  that  of  the  go- 
rilla, and  has  some  thin  short  hairs  on  it.  The  posteriors  of  the 
nshiego  are  bare,  and  there  the  skin  is  white.  The  eyebrows  of 
the  nshiego  are  of  thin  black  hair,  but  long.  The  side  of  the  face 
is  thinly  covered  with  hair,  commencing  about  the  middle  of  the 
ear. 

I  sent  my  prize  into  the  olako,  and  on  our  way  back  we  had 
the  good  luck  to  kill  another.  This  was  a  very  old  animal,  with 
venerable  aspect,  silvery  hair,  and  decayed  teeth.  It  measured  4 
feet  4  inches.  Its  weight  was  so  considerable  that,  to  carry  it,  we 
had  to  take  out  its  intestines.  I  found  in  the  stomach  only  some 
leaves.  On  my  return  to  the  olako  I  stuffed  my  two  prizes,  ready 
to  send  home. 

On  the  9th  we  had  a  great  crocodile-hunt.  The  people  were 
very  glad,  as  they  seem  extravagantly  fond  of  the  meat.  They  kill 
more  or  less  every  day  at  this  village,  and  so  at  the  others ;  but  the 
negroes  are  so  lazy  that  they  were  glad  to  have  me  go  and  save 
them  the  trouble.  The  crocodile  has  not  much  meat  on  him,  so 
that,  though  some  were  killed  every  day,  the  village  was  never 
sufficiently  supplied.  ✓ 

"We  went  in  canoes.  These  canoes  are  of  a  very  singular  con- 
struction ;  quite  flat-bottomed,  very  light  draught,  about  fifty  feet 
long,  and  not  more  than  two  broad.  They  are  ticklish  craft.  The 
oarsmen  stand  up  and  use  paddles  seven  feet  long,  with  which 

S 


274 


NATIVE  CANOES  AND  HARFOO». 


they  can  propel  one  of  these  boats  at  a  very  good  rate.  The  ca- 
noes are,  of  course,  easily  capsized — the  gunwale  being  but  a  few 
inches  above  the  water ;  but  they  do  not  often  tip  over.  What 
surprised  me  most  was  the  way  the  negro  paddlers  stood  up  at 
their  work  all  day  without  tiring. 

The  negroes  hunt  the  crocodile  both  with  guns  and  a  kind  of 
harpoon.  They  have  very  poor  guns,  and  powder  is  a  scarce  arti- 
cle with  them;  so  the  harpoon  is  most  used.  The  vulnerable  part 
of  the  animal  is  near  the  joints  of  his  fore  legs,  and  there  they  en- 
deavor to.  wound  it.  Though  so  many  are  killed,  they  do  not  de- 
crease in  numbers,  nor,  strange  enough,  do  they  seem  to  grow 
more  wary.  As  we  started  out  we  saw  them  swimming  about  in 
all  directions,  and  lying  on  the  mud-banks  sunning  themselves. 
They  took  no  notice  of  our  boat  at  all.  As  we  were  to  shoot,  we 
were  obliged  to  look  for  our  prizes  on  the  shore,  for,  if  killed  in 
the  water,  they  sink  and  are  lost.  Presently  we  saw  an  immense 
fellow  extended  on  the  bank  among  some  reeds.  We  approached 
cautiously ;  I  took  good  aim,  and  knocked  him  over.  He  strug- 
gled hard  to  get  to  the  water,  but  had  been  hit  too  surely.  His 
strength  gave  out  ere  he  could  reach  it,  and,  with  a  few  final  kicks, 
he  was  dead.  We  got  one  more,  and  then  they  brought  another 
canoe  along,  and,  capsizing  it  along  the  shore,  rolled  the  dead  mon- 
sters in  and  paddled  off  for  the  village.  One  measured  eighteen 
and  the  other  twenty  feet  in  length.  I  never  saw  more  savage- 
looking  jaws.  They  were  armed  with  most  formidable  rows  of 
teeth,  and  looked  really  as  though  a  man  would  be  a  mere  bite  for 
them. 

During  the  heat  of  the  day  these  animals  retire  to  the  reeds, 
where  they  lie  sheltered.  In  the  morning  and  late  afternoon 
they  come  forth  to  seek  their  prey.  They  swim  with  great  si- 
lence, making  scarce  even  a  ripple  on  the  water,  and  make  pretty 
good  progress  through  the  water.  The  motion  of  the  paws  in 
swimming  is  like  that  of  a  dog,  over  and  over.  They  can  stand 
quite  still  on  top  of  the  water,  when  they  may  be  seen  looking 
about  them  with  their  dull,  wicked  eyes.  They  sleep  in  the  reeds, 
not  for  long  in  the  same  place.  Their  eggs  they  lay  in  the  sand 
on  the  islands  in  the  lake,  covering  them  over  with  a  layer  of 
sand.  The  great  abundance  of  fish  in  the  lake  makes  them  in- 
crease so  fast  as  they  do.  The  negroes  seemed  rather  indifferent 
to  their  presence,  and  certainly  did  not  view  them  with  the  loath- 
ing and  horror  they  inspired  in  me. 


HABITS  OF  THE  OGATA. 


277 


On  the  11th  I  went  on  a  hunt,  but  killed  only  a  mkago — a  beau- 
tiful little  monkey,  whose  head  is  crowned  with  a  fillet  of  bright 
red  hair.  They  are  in  great  numbers  in  these  woods.  Coming 
home,  I  found  near  the  water  the  hole  or  burrow  of  an  ogata. 
This  is  a  species  of  cayman  which  lives  near  pools,  and  makes  a 
long  hole  in  the  ground  with  two  entrances,  in  which  it  sleeps 
and  watches  for  prey.  The  ogata  is  a  night-roving  animal,  and 
solitary  in  its  habits.  It  scrapes  this  hole  with  its  paws  with  con- 
siderable labor.  It  lives  near  a  pool  for  the  double  reason,  I 
imagine,  that  it  may  bathe,  and  because  thither  come  deer,  for 
whom  it  lies  in  wait  in  its  hole.  The  negroes  tell  me  that  they 
rush  out  with  great  speed  upon  any  wandering  animal,  and  drag 
it  into  the  hole  to  eat  it.  When  they  discover  one  of  these  holes 
they  come  with  their  guns — which  are  generally  loaded  with  iron 
spikes — and  watch  at  one  end,  while  a  fire  is  built  at  the  other 
entrance.  When  it  becomes  too  hot,  the  ogata  rushes  out  and  is 
shot,.  I  killed  one,  which  proved  to  be  seven  feet  long.  It  had 
great  strength  in  its  jaws,  and  very  formidable  teeth.  Like  the 
crocodile,  its  upper  jaw  is  articulated,  and  is  raised  when  the 
mouth  is  opened. 

On  the  13th  I  bought  a  few  sticks  of  ebony,  and  one  of  the  men 
brought  me  a  piece  of  izomba  meat.  The  izomba  is  a  turtle. 
The  meat  is  excellent ;  and  when  I  inquired  about  the  animal,  I 
found  reason  to  believe  it  a  new  species.  The  best  way  to  take  it 
is  to  watch  for  it  on  some  of  the  islands  in  the  lake,  whither  it  goes 
to  lay  its  eggs  by  night.  I  went  out  in  a  boat  the  same  night, 
and  we  were  so  lucky  as  to  turn  one  great  turtle  just  as  she  was 
done  laying.  She  had  noticed  us,  silent  as  our  approach  was,  and 
had  nearly  escaped.  I  found  to  my  joy  next  morning  that  it  was 
really  a  new  species. 

On  the  14th  I  gave  Shimbouvenegani  two  pieces  of  cotton  cloth, 
some  tobacco,  and  beads,  and  returned  to  Damagondai's  town. 
Here  I  found  a  canoe  from  King  Eanpano,  to  say  that  a  vessel 
was  on  the  coast  by  which  I  could  send  things  to  America  if  I 
wished.  I  determined  to  go  down  immediately  and  send  some 
specimens  off. 

On  our  return  to  Damagondai's  town,  as  we  were  paddling 
along,  I  perceived  in  the  distance  ahead  a  beautiful  deer,  looking 
meditatively  into  the  waters  of  the  lagoon,  of  which  from  time  to 
time  it  took  a  drink.    I  stood  up  to  get  a  shot,  and  we  approach- 


278 


CROCODILE  AMD  DEER. 


cd  with  the  utmost  silence.  But,  just  as  I  raised  my  gun  to  fire, 
a  crocodile  leaped  out  of  the  water,  and,  like  a  flash,  dove  back 
again  with  the  struggling  animal  in  his  powerful  jaws.  So  quick- 
ly did  the  beast  take  his  prey  that,  though  I  fired  at  him,  I  was 
too  late.  I  do  not  think  my  bullet  hit  him.  If  it  did,  it  struck 
some  impenetrable  part  of  his  mail.  I  would  not  have  believed 
that  this  huge  and  unwieldy  animal  could  move  with  such  veloci- 
ty ;  but  the  natives  told  me  that  the  deer  often  falls  prey  to  the 
crocodile.  Sometimes  he  even  catches  the  leopard,  but  then  there 
is  a  harder  battle  than  the  poor  little  deer  could  make. 

In  the  afternoon  news  came  that  Oshoria,  the  king  of  a  town 
situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Anengue  and  Ogobay  Rivers,  in- 
tended to  stop  me  on  my  way  down  and  exact  tribute  for  my  pas- 
sage. Poor  King  Damagondai  was  much  troubled.  Lie  sent  his 
brother  down  with  a  present  of  a  plate,  a  mug,  and  a  brass  pan  to 
propitiate  him.  I  was  very  angry,  and  determined  to  put  down 
Mr.  Oshoria.  We  cleaned  our  guns,  and  I  prepared  my  revolver : 
and  next  morning  we  set  out  without  waiting  for  the  king's  broth- 
er's return,  greatly  to  the  dismay  of  these  peaceable  people. 

When  we  came  in  sight  of  Guabuirri,  Oshoria's  town,  I  saw 
that  some  of  my  fellows  began  to  show  the  white  feather.  I 
therefore  told  them  I  would  blow  out  the  brains  of  the  first  man 
who  failed  to  fight  to  the  death,  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  my 
revolver  as  the  intended  instrument  of  death.  They  have  a  great 
respect  for  this  wonderful  revolver ;  and  immediately  answered 
me,  "  We  are  men." 

So  we  pulled  up  to  the  town.  On  the  shore  stood  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  fellows  armed  with  spears  and  axes,  led  by  ten 
men  who  had  guns.  I  went  immediately  up  to  them,  revolver  in 
one  hand  and  double-barreled  gun  in  the  other.  At  this  piece  of 
bravado  they  became  very  civil,  and  instead  of  firing  at  my  party 
received  us  peaceably. 

Damagondai's  brother  hurried  down  to  meet  me,  and  announced 
that  there  was  no  palaver.  I  was  then  led  to  where  the  quarrel- 
some Oshoria  stood,  whom  I  reproached  for  his  conduct,  telling 
him  that  if  any  body  had  been  killed  the  palaver  would  have 
been  on  his  head.  He  said  he  had  been  vexed  that  I  did  not  stop 
to  see  him  on  my  way  up ;  and  after  making  farther  excuses, 
added,  "  Aoue  olome  ;"  which  means,  "  Thou  art  a  man  ;"  an  ex- 
pression used  in  several  ways,  either  to  designate  a  smart  man,  or 


THE  TRIBE  OF  THE  LAKE. 


279 


a  rascal,  or,  in  the  best  sense,  a  very  brave  man.  I  was  content  to 
accept  it  as  an  intended  compliment. 

I  was  presented  with  fruits  and  fowls,  and  we  were  presently 
the  best  of  friends ;  and  when  I  brought  down  a  little  bird  which 
sat  on  a  very  high  tree,  they  all  declared  I  must  have  a  very  big 
shooting-fetich,  and  respected  me  accordingly. 

Leaving  there,  we  got  back  to  Biagano  without  farther  trouble. 

The  people  of  the  Ogobay  and  the  Anengue  are  of  the  same 
tribe  with  the  sea-shore  Camma.  They  intermarry ;  their  cus- 
toms and  superstitions  are  the  same ;  their  palavers  are  the  same : 
and,  though  they  are  more  peaceable,  they  have  the  will  to  be  just 
as  great  rascals.  The  country  back  of  the  river-swamps  is  very 
rich  in  all  manner  of  tropical  products.  The  ebony  is  found  in 
the  hills ;  but  to  transport  heavy  substances  twenty  miles  to  the 
river  or  lake-shore,  in  a  country  where  there  are  no  roads,  is  too 
much  trouble  for  these  lazy  fellows — for  which  reason  very  lit- 
tle is  cut.  The  copal-tree  is  also  found,  as  well  as  the  India- 
rubber  vine.  They  raise  sugar-cane  in  great  quantities,  yams, 
ground-nuts,  plantains,  manioc,  and  sweet  potatoes.  The  chief 
commercial  produce  of  the  country  at  present  is  ivory,  of  which 
a  small  quantity  is  brought  down  every  year. 

In  their  religious  notions  they  do  not  differ  from  their  neigh- 
bors, the  Fernand  Vaz  Camma,  or  indeed  from  the  natives  of  this 
region  generally.  In  Damagondai's  town  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
become  possessed  of  one  of  their  idols  or  mbuitis.  It  is  a  mistake 
to  suppose  that  these  people  worship  their  greegrees  and  fetiches. 
Wherever  I  have  been  I  have  found  the  head-man  or  chief  town 
of  each  family  in  possession  of  an  idol,  which  was  worshiped  by 
that  family.  This  whole  matter  is  kept  so  secret  that,  unless  the 
traveler  pays  particular  attention,  he  may  live  in  a  village  for 
weeks  and  not  know  of  this  idol's  existence.  And  for  this  reason 
some  have  asserted  that  they  have  no  idols. 

The  family  of  King  Glass,  in  Gaboon,  has  an  idol  which  is  sev- 
eral generations  old,  I  am  certain.  So  in  Cape  Lopez  the  reigning 
family  has  an  ancient  idol.  Mention  has  been  made  before  this 
of  others.  Damagondai's  idol  was  a  female  figure,  with  copper 
eyes,  and  a  tongue  made  of  a  sharp  sword-shaped  piece  of  iron. 
This  explained  her  chief  attributes :  she  cuts  to  pieces  those  with 
whom  she  is  displeased.  She  was  dressed  in  a  Shekiani  cloth,  cov- 
ering her  from  the  neck  down.    She  is  said  to  speak,  to  walk,  to 


280 


BUYING  AN  IDOL. 


foretell  events,  and  to  take  vengeance  on  her  enemies.  Her  house 
is  the  most  prominent  one  in  the  whole  village. 
She  comes  to  the  people  by  night  and  tells  them 
in  their  sleep  what  is  going  to  happen.  In  this 
way,  they  asserted,  my  coming  had  been  fore- 
told. They  worship  her  by  dancing  around 
her  and  singing  her  praises  and  their  requests. 
Sometimes  a  single  man  or  woman  comes  to  pre- 
fer a  request ;  and  once  I  saw  the  whole  village 
engaged  in  this  rite.  They  offer  her  sugar-cane 
and  other  food,  which  they  believe  she  eats. 

I  tried  to  buy  this  goddess,  but,  ugly  as  she 
was,  Damagondai  said  no  money  would  pur- 
chase her.  But  he  insinuated  that  for  a  proper 
price  I  could  have  the  goddess  of  the  slaves. 
These  poor  fellows  were  absent  on  the  planta- 
tions, and  after  council  with  his  chief  men,  the 
king  determined  to  tell  them  that  he  had  seen 
their  mbuiti  walk  off  into  the  woods.  I  packed 
her  up  and  took  her  off  with  me,  and  here  is  her 
portrait. 

From  August  18th  to  the  31st  I  was  badly 
sick  with  dysentery  and  symptoms  of  malignant 
fever,  contracted,  probably,  in  the  Anengue 
marshes.  In  three  days  I  took  one  hundred  and 
fifty  grains  of  quinine,  and  thus,  happily,  suc- 
ceeded in  breaking  the  force  of  the  fever,  which 
was  the  most  dangerous  of  the  two  diseases. 

By  September  9th  I  was  pretty  strong  again, 
and  the  people  came  to  ask  me  if  I  was  willing 
for  them  to  bola  ivoga,  that  is,  to  make  a  terrible 
noise  with  their  ceremonious  breaking  of  the 
mourning-time.  I  gave  my  consent,  and  next 
day  great  numbers  of  canoes  came  down  to  help 
in  this  ceremony.  When  any  one  of  importance 
dies,  the  tribe  or  town  cease  to  wear  their  best 
clothes,  and  make  it  a  point  to  go  unusually 
dirty.  This  is  to  mourn.  Mourning  lasts  from  a 
year  to  two  years.  As  for  the  breaking  up  of 
mourning,  this  shall  now  be  described. 


BOLA  IVOGA. 


281 


The  man  who  had  died  left  seven  wives,  a  house,  a  plantation, 
and  other  property.  All  this  the  elder  brother  inherits,  and  on 
him  it  devolves  to  give  the  grand  feast.  For  this  feast  every  ca- 
noe that  came  brought  jars  of  mimbo  or  palm  wine.  Sholomba 
Jombuai,  the  heir,  had  been  out  for  two  weeks  fishing,  and  now 
returned  with  several  canoe-loads  of  dry  fish.  From  his  planta- 
tions quantities  of  palm  wine  were  brought  in.  Every  one  in  the 
village  furbished  up  his  best  clothes  and  ornaments.  Drums  and 
kettles  were  collected ;  powder  was  brought  out  for  the  salutes ; 
and  at  last  all  was  ready  for  bola  ivoga. 

The  wives  of  the  deceased  seemed  quite  jolly,  for  to-morrow 
they  were  to  lay  aside  their  widows'  robes  and  to  join  in  the  jol- 
lification as  brides.  The  heir  could  have  married  them  all,  but 
he  had  generously  given  up  two  to  a  younger  brother  and  one  to 
a  cousin. 

At  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  three  guns  were  fired  off  to 
announce  that  the  widows  had  done  eating  a  certain  mess,  mixed 
of  various  ingredients  supposed  to  have  magical  virtues,  and  b}' 
which  they  are  released  from  their  widowhood.  They  now  put 
on  bracelets  and  anklets,  and  the  finest  calico  they  had.  About 
nine  all  the  guests  sat  down  on  mats  spread  about  the  house  of 
deceased  and  along  the  main  street.  They  were  divided  into  lit- 
tle groups,  and  before  each  was  set  an  immense  jar  of  mimbo. 
All  began  to  talk  pleasantly,  till  suddenly  the  Biagano  people  fired 
off  a  volley  of  about  one  hundred  guns.  This  was  the  signal  for 
the  drinking  to  begin.  Men,  women,  and  children  set  to ;  and 
from  this  time  till  next  morning  the  orgies  were  continued  with- 
out interruption.  They  drank,  they  sung,  they  fired  guns,  and 
loaded  them  so  heavily  as  they  got  tipsy  that  I  wonder  the  old 
trade-guns  did  not  burst;  they  drummed  on  every  thing  that 
could  possibly  give  out  a  noise ;  they  shouted ;  and  the  women 
danced — such  dances  as  are  not  seen  elsewhere.  They  are  inde- 
cent in  their  best  moments.  The  reader  may  imagine  what  they 
were  when  every  woman  was  furiously  tipsy,  and  thought  it  a 
point  of  honor  to  be  more  bawdy  than  her  neighbor. 

Next  day,  about  sunrise,  Jombuai  came  to  ask  me  to  assist  at 
the  concluding  ceremony.  '  His  brother's  house  was  to  be  torn 
down  and  burned.  When  I  came  they  fired  guns,  and  then, 
in  a  moment,  hacked  the  old  house  to  pieces  with  axes  and  cut- 
lasses. When  the  ruins  were  burned  the  feast  was  done.  And 
this  is  to  go  out  of  mourning  among  the  Camma. 


282 


PHYSIC  AMONG  THE  CAM  MA. 


Hardly  were  the  rejoicings  done,  when  Ishungui,  the  man  who 
had  faithfully  taken  care  of  my  house  in  my  absence,  lay  at  death's 
door.  He  had  gone  out  on  Jombuai's  fishing  excursion,  caught 
cold,  and  had  now  a  lung  fever.  I  knew  when  I  saw  him  that 
he  must  die,  and  tried  to  prepare  his  mind  for  the  change.  But 
his  friends  by  no  means  gave  him  up.  They  sent  for  a  distin- 
guished fetich-doctor,  and  under  his  auspices  began  the  infernal 
din  with  which  they  seek  to  cure  a  dying  man. 

The  Camma  theory  of  disease  is  that  Okamboo  (the  devil)  h&« 
got  into  the  sick  man.  Now  this  devil  is  only  to  be  driven  out 
with  noise,  and  accordingly  they  surround  the  sick  man  and  beat 
drums  and  kettles  close  to  his  head ;  fire  off  guns  close  to  his  ears; 
sing,  shout,  and  dance  all  they  can.  This  lasts  till  the  poor  fel- 
low either  dies  or  is  better — unless  the  operators  become  tired  out 
first,  for  the  Camma  doctors  either  kill  or  cure. 

Ishungui  died.  He  left  no  property,  and  his  brother  buried 
him  without  a  coffin  in  a  grave  in  the  sand,  so  shallow  that,  when 
I  chanced  upon  it  some  days  after,  I  saw  that  the  wild  beasts  had 
been  there  and  eaten  the  corpse.  The  mourning  lasted  but  six 
days ;  and,  as  there  were  no  wives  or  property,  so  there  was  no 
feast.  The  relatives  of  the  deceased  slept  one  night  in  his  house, 
as  a  mark. of  respect ;  and  then  all  that  remained  was  to  discover 
the  person  who  had  bewitched  the  dead  man.  For  that  a  young 
man,  generally  healthy,  should  die  so  suddenly  in  course  of  na- 
ture was  by  no  means  to  be  believed. 

A  canoe  had  been  dispatched  up  to  the  lake  to  bring  down  a 
great  doctor.  They  brought  one  of  Damagondai's  sons,  a  great 
rascal,  who  had  been  foremost  in  selling  me  the  idol,  and  who  was 
an  evident  cheat.  When  all  was  ready  for  the  trial,  I  went  down 
to  look  at  the  doctor,  who  looked  literally  like  the  devil.  I  never 
saw  a  more  ghastly  object.  He  had  on  a  high  head-dress  of 
black  feathers.  His  eyelids  were  painted  red,  and  a  red  stripe, 
from  the  nose  upward,  divided  his  forehead  in  two  parts.  An- 
other red  stripe  passed  round  his  head.  The  face  was  painted 
white,  and  on  each  side  of  the  mouth  were  two  round  red  spots. 
About  his  neck  hung  a  necklace  of  grass  and  also  a  cord,  which 
held  a  box  against  his  breast.  This  little  box  is  sacred,  and  con- 
tains spirits.  A  number  of  strips  of  leopard  and  other  skins 
crossed  his  breast  and  were  exposed  about  his  person ;  and  all 
these  were  charmed,  and  had  charms  attached  to  them.  From 


HOW  TO  DISCOVER  A  WITCH. 


285 


each,  shoulder  down  to  his  hands  was  a  white  stripe,  and  one  hand 
was  painted  quite  white.  To  complete  this  horrible  array,  he 
wore  a  string  of  little  bells  around  his  body. 

He  sat  on  a  box  or  stool,  before  which  stood  another  box  con- 
taining charms.  On  this  stood  a  looking-glass,  beside  which  lay 
a  buffalo-horn  containing  some  black  powder,  and  said,  in  addi- 
tion, to  be  the  refuge  of  many  spirits.  He  had  a  little  basket  of 
snake-bones,  which  he  shook  frequently  during  his  incantations ; 
as  also  several  skins,  to  which  little  bells  were  attached.  Near 
by  stood  a  fellow  beating  a  board  with  two  sticks.  All  the  peo- 
ple of  the  village  gathered  about  this  couple,  who,  after  continu- 
ing their  incantations  for  quite  a  while,  at  last  came  to  the  climax. 
Jombuai  was  told  to  call  over  the  names  of  persons  in  the  vil- 
lage, in  order  that  the  doctor  might  ascertain  if  any  one  of  those 
named  did  the  sorcery.  As  each  name  was  called  the  old  cheat 
looked  in  the  glass  to  see  the  result. 

During  the  whole  operation  I  stood  near  him,  which  seemed  to 
trouble  him  greatly.  At  last,  after  all  the  names  were  called,  the 
doctor  declared  that  he  could  not  find  any  "  witch-man,"  but  that 
an  evil  spirit  dwelt  in  the  village,  and  many  of  the  people  would 
die  if  they  continued  there.  I  have  a  suspicion  that  this  final 
judgment  with  which  the  incantations  broke  up  was  a  piece  of 
revenge  upon  me.  I  had  no  idea  till  next  day  how  seriously  the 
words  of  one  of  these  (ouganga)  doctors  is  taken. 

The  next  morning  all  was  excitement.  The  people  were 
scared:  they  said  their  rnbuiri  was  not  willing  to  have  them  live 
longer  here ;  that  he  would  kill  them,  etc.  Then  began  the  re- 
moval of  all  kinds  of  property  and  the  tearing  down  of  houses ; 
and  by  nightfall  I  was  actually  left  alone  in  my  house  with  my 
Mpongwe  boy  and  my  little  Ogobay  boy,  Makondai,  both  of 
whom  were  anxious  to  be  off. 

Old  Eanpano  came  to  beg  me  not  to  be  offended ;  that  he  dared 
not  stay,  but  would  build  his  house  not  too  far  away ;  that  the 
rnbuiri  was  now  in  town:  he  advised  me  as  a  friend  to  move, 
also  ;  but  nobody  wished  me  ill — only  he  must  go,  etc. 

I  did  not  like  to  abandon  my  houses,  which  had  cost  me  money 
and  trouble,  and  where  I  was  more  comfortably  fixed  than  I  had 
ever  before  been  in  Africa.  So  I  called  a  meeting  of  the  people, 
and  tried  to  induce  some  of  them  to  come  over  and  live  with  me. 
Now,  though  they  loved  tobacco,  though  they  worshiped  trade. 


286 


GORILLA  HUNTS. 


though  they  had  every  possible  inducement  to  come  and  live 
near  me,  "  their  white  man,"  as  they  called  me,  it  was  only  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  I  could  get  some  men  who  had  already 
worked  for  me  to  come  over  and  stay  in  my  place.  These  began 
immediately  to  build  themselves  houses,  and  by  October  8th  the 
little  village  was  built,  of  which  I  was  now,  to  my  great  surprise, 
offered  the  sovereignty.  I  remembered  how  the  new  king  was 
made  in  the  Gaboon ;  and  though  it  seemed  romantic  to  be  the 
'  chief  of  a  negro  town  in  Africa,  the  thought  of  the  contumely 
which  precedes  the  assumption  of  royalty  deterred  me.  Finally 
the  men  determined  to  have  me  as  the  chief  next  to  Ranpano, 
and  with  this  my  ambition  was  satisfied. 

On  the  1st  of  November  I  went  in  a  canoe,  with  guns  and  pro- 
visions, up  to  Irende,  a  town  about  forty  miles  up  the  Fernand 
Vaz.  Hereabouts  there  was  likelihood  of  some  good  hunts ;  so  I 
had  been  told.  In  fact  we  killed  a  number  of  wild  red  pigs,  and 
some  beautiful,  but  very  shy  red  deer.  It  is  a  curious  circum- 
stance— which  I  think  I  ascertained  to  be  a  fact — that  on  this  part 
of  the  Fernand  Vaz  the  gorilla  lives  only  near  the  left  bank,  and 
the  chimpanzee  only  near  the  right  bank  of  the  stream,  until  one 
reaches  the  Rembo  River. 

On  the  9th  I  started  for  the  town  of  my  old  friend  Makaga. 
where  I  was  heartily  received.  We  went  out  on  a  gorilla-hunt 
on  the  10th,  but  took  too  many  men,  and  probably  made  too 
much  noise ;  for  we  saw  none,  and  returned  next  day  with  our 
trouble  for  our  pains.  On  the  13th  I  went  out  with  only  one 
hunter,  and  he  took  me  to  a  part  of  the  country  full  of  the  wild 
pine-apple.  The  gorilla  is  very  fond  of  the  leaves  of  this  plant, 
of  which  it  eats  the  white  stems.  We  saw  great  quantities  thus 
eaten  away,  therefore  we  hoped  to  find  here  the  beasts  them- 
selves. 

About  noon,  Mbele,  my  hunter,  was  some  distance  ahead,  when 
suddenly  I  heard  his  gun  fired.  I  ran  up,  and  found  he  had  shot 
and  killed  a  female  gorilla  about  half  grown. 

Coming  back  we  heard  the  cry  of  the  gorillas  off  at  one  side  of 
our  path.  We  approached,  but  were  discerned,  and  came  up  only 
to  see  four  young  animals  making  off  on  their  all-fours  into  the 
woods.  I  noticed  that  in  their  trot  their  hind  legs  seemed  to  play 
in  between  their  arms ;  but  they  made  very  good  speed. 

Before  we  got  to  town  again  I  shot  a  mboyo,  a  very  shy  ani- 


CAPTURE  OF  A  YOUNG  GORILLA. 


287 


mal  of  the  wolf  kind,  with  long  yellowish  hair  and  straight  ears.  I 
have  often  watched  these  beasts  surrounding  and  chasing  small 
game  for  themselves.  The  drove  runs  very  well  together ;  and  as 
their  policy  is  to  run  round  and  round,  they  soon  bewilder,  tire 
out,  and  capture  any  animal  of  moderate  endurance. 

I  found  this  a  great  gorilla  country ;  the  animals  even  approach- 
ed the  town  early  in  the  morning,  and  I  found  that  I  need  not 
make  long  journeys  in  order  to  reach  the  hunting-ground.  But 
they  are  very  difficult  of  approach ;  the  slightest  noise  alarms 
them  and  sends  them  off.  It  is  only  once  in  a  while  that  you 
can  surprise  an  old  male ;  and  then  he  will  fight  you. 

On  the  25th  I  got  a  second  young  gorilla.  This  time  I  was  ac- 
cessory to  its  capture.  We  were  walking  along  in  silence,  when 
I  heard  a  cry,  and  presently  saw  before  me  a  female  gorilla,  with 
a  tiny  baby-gorilla  hanging  to  her  breast  and  sucking.  The 
mother  was  stroking  the  little  one,  and  looking  fondly  down  at  it; 
and  the  scene  was  so  pretty  and  touching  that  I  held  my  fire,  and 
considered — like  a  soft-hearted  fellow — whether  I  had  not  better 
leave  them  in  peace.  Before  I  could  make  up  my  mind,  how- 
ever, my  hunter  fired  and  killed  the  mother,  who  fell  without  a 
struggle. 

The  mother  fell,  but  the  baby  clung  to  her,  and,  with  pitiful 
cries,  endeavored  to  attract  her  attention.  I  came  up,  and  when 
it  saw  me  it  hid  its  poor  little  head  in  its  mother's  breast.  It 
could  neither  walk  nor  bite,  so  we  could  easily  manage  it;  and  I 
carried  it,  while  the  men  bore  the  mother  on  a  pole.  When  we 
got  to  the  village  another  scene  ensued.  The  men  put  the  body 
down,  and  I  set  the  little  fellow  near.  As  soon  as  he  saw  his 
mother  he  crawled  to  her  and  threw  himself  on  her  breast.  He 
did  not  find  his  accustomed  nourishment,  and  I  saw  that  he  per- 
ceived something  was  the  matter  with  the  old  one.  He  crawled 
over  her  body,  smelt  at  it,  and  gave  utterance,  from  time  to  time, 
to  a  plaintive  cry,  "  hoo,  hoo,  hoo,"  which  touched  my  heart. 

I  could  get  no  milk  for  this  poor  little  fellow,  who  could  not 
eat,  and  consequently  died  on  the  third  day  after  he  was  caught. 
He  seemed  more  docile  than  the  other  I  had,  for  he  already  rec- 
ognized my  voice,  and  would  try  to  hurry  toward  me  when  he 
saw  me.  I  put  the  little  body  in  alcohol,  and  sent  it  to  Dr.  Wy- 
man,  of  Boston,  for  dissection.  His  remarks  will  be  found  in  my 
chapter  on  the  gorilla. 


288 


POISONED  BY  MY  COOK. 


The  mother  we  skinned ;  and,  when  I  came  to  examine  her,  I 
found  her  a  very  singular  specimen.  Her  head  was  much  small- 
er than  that  of  any  other  gorilla  I  ever  saw,  and  the  rump  was  of 
a  reddish-brown  color.  These  are  peculiarities  which  made  this 
specimen  different  from  all  others  I  have  seen.  I  called  her,  there- 
fore, the  gorilla  with  the  red  rump. 

On  the  29th  and  30th  of  November  I  took  my  last  hunts  near 
Makaga's  place.  I  fqund  gorilla  growing  scarce.  I  had  hunted 
them  too  perseveringly ;  so  I  determined  to  return  to  Biagano  to 
make  ready  for  my  trip  up  the  Rembo. 

I  found  all  safe,  and  at  once  prepared  for  my  next  trip.  This, 
however,  was  put  off  by  one  of  those  accidents  which  happen  in 
these  barbarous  countries  once  in  a  while.  On  the  5th  of  Decem- 
ber I  was  poisoned  by  my  cook.  He  was  a  Sangatanga  fellow, 
who  had  been  sent  to  me  from  the  Gaboon  because  I  could  not 
stand  the  cooking  of  my  Biagano  friends.  He  had  served  in  the 
Cape  Lopez  slave-factories,  and  had  there  learned  treachery  and 
thieving.  For  a  while  he  behaved  well ;  but  bj'-and-by  I  began 
to  miss  things,  and  made  sure,  after  watching  the  Camma  fellows 
pretty  closely,  that  the  thief  could  be  nobody  but  my  cook. 

On  this  day  I  was  preparing  a  tiger's  skin  which  Igala,  my  hunt- 
er, had  killed  the  night  before,  and  had  to  send  cook  for  some- 
thing in  my  store-house.  He  came  back  without  the  key,  which 
he  said  was  lost.  I  told  him  if  he  did  not  get  it  before  night  I 
would  punish  him. 

I  had  Sholomba,  a  native  prince,  to  dine  with  me,  and  we  had 
fowls,  chickysn  soup,  and  a  goat  for  dinner.  It  happened  that  Sho- 
lomba's  family  hold  chickens  in  abhorrence  as  food,  believing  that 
one  of  their  ancestors  had  been  cured  of  a  deadly  disease  by  the 
blood  of  a  fowl.  Therefore  he  ate  of  the  goat.  I  took  two  plates 
of  chicken  broth,  and  had  scarce  finished  the  last  when  I  was  seized 
with  frightful  pains  and  vomiting,  and  diarrhoea  set  in,  and  lasted 
all  night.    I  never  suffered  such  frightful  torments. 

When  I  was  first  taken  sick  I  called  Boulay,  the  cook,  who  said 
he  had  put  nothing  in  the  soup ;  but,  when  charged  with  poison- 
ing, turned  and  fled  into  the  woods.  The  next  afternoon,  when 
I  was  somewhat  easier,  my  people  brought  the  wretch  in.  He 
had  fled  down  river,  but  had  been  caught.  Banpano  and  all 
were  very  angry,  and  demanded  the  life  of  him  who  had  tried  to 
kill  their  white  man.    It  was  proved  that  he  had  gone  into  my 


TEIAL  OF  BOULAY. 


289 


store-house  with  the  key  he  said  was  lost ;  and,  after  some  pre- 
varication, he  admitted  that  he  had  taken  two  table-spoonfuls  of 
the  arsenic  I  always  had  setting  there  and  put  it  in  my  soup.  I 
owe  my  life  to  his  o^er-dose ;  consequently  to  a  kind  Providence. 

Ranpano  kept  Boulay  in  chains  till  I  was  well  enough  to  sit  in 
judgment  over  him.  Then  it  was  determined  that  he  should 
suffer  death.  But  I  interfered,  and  desired  that  he  should  be  let 
off  with  110  lashes  with  a  whip  of  hippopotamus-hide.  Eleven 
of  the  stoutest  freemen  of  the  town  were  chosen  to  administer  the 
punishment;  and  when  it  was  over  Boulay  was  again  put  in 
chains. 

Ill  news  travels  even  in  this  country,  where  there  are  neither 
mails  nor  post-roads.  Boulay  had  brothers  in  Cape  Lopez,  who 
in  some  way  heard  of  his  rascality.  They  were  troubled  at  this 
disgrace  to  their  family,  and  appeared  before  me  one  day  with 
four,  slaves  in  their  train.  They  thanked  me  for  not  killing  their 
brother,  which,  they  said,  I  had  a  right  to  do.  They  said,  "  Bou- 
lay has  conducted  himself  as  a  slave  in  trying  to  poison  his  mas- 
ter." Then  they  begged  me  to  give  him  to  them  and  to  spare  his 
life,  and  handed  over  to  me  the  four  slaves  they  had  brought  as 
an  equivalent. 

The  brothers  were  old,  venerable,  and  honest-looking  men. 
They  evidently  grieved  deeply  for  the  crime  of  their  kinsman. 
I  told  them  that  in  my  country  we  did  not  "  make  palaver  for 
money ;"  that  I  might  have  killed  their  brother,  according  to  their 
own  laws.  Then  I  called  Boulay,  and  told  him  how  meanly  he 
had  treated  me ;  then,  taking  his  chains  off  myself,  I  handed  him 
over  to  his  brothers,  with  the  four  slaves  they  had  given  me. 
They  thanked  me  again  and  again.  Eanpano  forbade  Boulay 
ever  to  return,  and  so  they  went  back  to  Cape  Lopez. 

I  found  myself,  after  some  weeks,  not  only  entirely  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  arsenic,  but  also  cured  of  a  fever  which  had 
long  beset  me.  I  have  mentioned,  in  another  place,  that,  where 
quinine  has  ceased  to  affect  the  traveler  in  Africa,  small  doses  of 
arsenic  are  sometimes  administered,  and  with  good  effect,  in  fever 
cases. 

T 


290 


QUENGUEZA  SENDS  A  HOSTAGE. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Message  and  Hostage  from  Quengueza. — Outfit. — Makondai. — Fame  of  Mr.  Colt. — 
Goumbi. — Reception. — Family  Arrangements  in  Africa. — Intermarriage. — Driv- 
ing out  a  Witch. — Riches  among  the  Camma. — African  Shams. — A  Sunday  Lec- 
ture.— Gorilla  shot. — The  poison  Ordeal. — Mboundou. — Effects  of  the  Poison. — 
Native  Gorilla  Stories. — Charms. — Young  female  Gorilla  caught. — Superstitious 
Belief. — Trouble  in  the  Royal  Family. — A  holy  Place. — Obindji's  Town. — A  royal 
Introduction. — Houses. — Decency  in  Obindji's  Town. — Surprise  of  the  Negroes 
at  my  Appearance. — Ordeal  of  the  Ring  boiled  in  Oil. — Bashikouay. — Kooloo- 
kamba.  —  Another  new  Ape.  —  Gonamba,  or  Hunger  for  Meat.  —  Grace  before 
Meat. — A  Day's  Work  in  Africa. — Checks. — I  am  counted  a  Magician. 

Toward  the  close  of  January,  1858,  when  I  was  thinking  of 
King  Quengueza  and  of  my  approaching  visit  to  him,  the  old  fel- 
low sent  down  his  eldest  son  to  me  with  a  lot  of  ebony,  and  his 
youngest  son,  a  boy  of  ten,  who  was  to  be  left  with  me.  Quen- 
gueza sent  word  that  I  must  come  soon ;  that  I  should  have  his 
escort  to  go  to  the  far  interior,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  cut  ebo- 
ny for  me.  Meantime,  lest  I  should  be  afraid  to  trust  nryself  in 
his  hands,  he  sent  his  young  son,  who  was  to  remain  in  Ean- 
pano's  hands  as  hostage  for  my  safety.  "You  see,"  he  sent  word, 
"  I  am  not  afraid  of  you.    You  may  trust  me." 

This  message  determined  me  to  get  ready  at  once  for  my  trip. 
I  packed  my  goods  and  put  my  house  in  order,  and  at  last  called 
together  the  people  of  Biagano  for  a  serious  talk.  I  knew  they 
were  opposed  to  my  taking  trade-goods  to  the  interior,  but  I  could 
not  go  without.  I  therefore  told  them  that  I  not  only  now  was. 
but  intended  to  remain  (heir  white  man ;  that  I  took  goods  only 
to  pay  my  way,  and  that  my  explorations  would  help  their  trade, 
while  I  only  wanted  to  hunt.  At  the  same  time,  I  told  them  if 
they  did  not  help  me  with  canoes  I  should  leave  them  and  never 
come  back.  They  were  glad  to  let  me  go  where  I  wished,  and  to 
help  me  as  far  as  I  needed  help. 

Next  day  I  had  a  more  formal  ceremony  still.  In  my  houses 
remained  about  two  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  ebony  and  goods, 
together  with  ivory,  all  my  specimens  not  sent  to  America,  and 
various  other  things  of  value.    These  were  to  remain,  and  I 


A  TRADER'S  OUTFIT. 


291 


had  to  trust  to  the  honor  of  a  parcel  of  black  fellows  for  their 
safety. 

Accordingly,  I  took  Ranpano  and  some  of  his  head-men  all 
over  the  premises,  showed  them  every  thing  I  had  which  was  to 
remain ;  then  said,  "  Give  me  a  man  to  keep  all  safe,  that  I,  who 
am  your  white  man,  may  lose  nothing." 

They  gave  me  at  once  old  Rinkimongami,  the  king's  brother, 
to  whom  I  promised  good  pay  if  my  things  were  kept  safe. 

Then  I  distributed  tobacco  to  all  the  people ;  and  next  morn- 
ing (February  26th)  we  set  off  for  Goombi,  Quengueza's  place. 

I  had  to  take  my  big  boat,  because  no  canoe  would  hold  all  the 
goods,  powder  and  shot,  guns  and  provisions  I  took  along.  I  had 
26*  guns,  150  pounds  of  lead,  200  pounds  of  coarse  trade-powder, 
30  pounds  fine  powder  for  myself,  about  10,000  yards  of  cotton 
cloth,  400  pounds  beads,  and  quantities  of  iron  and  brass  pots, 
kettles,  and  pans;  caps,  coats,  shirts,  looking-glasses,  fire-steels, 
flints,  knives,  plates,  glasses,  spoons,  hats,  etc.,  etc.  This  is  an  Af- 
rican trader's  outfit.  For  this  I  hoped  to  get  not  only  friendly 
treatment,  but  ebony,  ivory,  and  wax,  and  perhaps  India-rubber. 
But  all  that  was  only  by  the  way.  Gorillas  were  my  chief  object, 
and  the  exploration  of  the  far  interior.  Quengueza  had  promised 
me  safe  conduct  to  points  very  far  back  toward  the  unknown 
centre  of  the  continent.  And  as  I  was  the  first  white  man  to 
venture  up  in  this  direction,  so  I  was  anxious  to  get  as  far  as 
possible. 

We  were  fifteen,  in  all,  in  my  boat.  Another  canoe,  with  other 
fifteen  men,  followed  us.  In  my  own  boat,  Jombuai,  a  fellow 
from  my  own  town,  and  who  had  married  some  wives  up  the 
Eembo,  was  the  head-man ;  Quengueza's  little  boy  was  along  too, 
and  also  the  brave  little  Makondai,  whom  I  had  at  first  determined 
to  leave  behind,  as  being  too  small  to  stand  the  fatigues  of  such  a 
journey.  The  little  fellow  entreated  so  to  be  taken  along,  that  I 
at  last  consented.  He  behaved  like  a  trump,  and  I  had  no  occa- 
sion to  regret  my  confidence  in  him. 

We  started  on  the  morning  of  February  26th,  1858.  When 
we  had  got  a  few  miles  up  river  the  slaves  of  Jombuai  came  down 
to  bid  him  good-by,  and  brought  him  quite  a  quantity  of  plant- 
ains— a  welcome  accession  to  our  provision-list.  A  few  miles  up 
and  we  were  clear  of  the  mangroves,  and  the  river  began  to 
widen,  and  its  shores  became  beautiful.    Fine  palms  lined  the 


292 


VILLAGE  OF  "CHARLEY." 


banks,  and  seemed  even  to  guard  them  from  the  encroachments 
of  the  full  river,  which  ran  along  quite  level  with  its  banks. 

We  pulled  nearly  all  night,  and  by  noon  of  the  next  day  reach- 
ed Monwe  Island,  thirty-five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
but  only  about  ten  miles  from  the  the  reader  will  see  by 

the  map.    Here  we  took  a  rest,  the  heat  being  excessive. 

A  little  above  Monwe  the  Fernand  Vaz  becomes  much  nar- 
rower. It  then  takes  an  easterly  direction ;  and  from'  this  point 
upward  it  is  known  to  the  natives  as  Eembo,  which  means  "  The 
Eiver."  At  Quayombi  several  small  islands  divide  the  river 
temporarily  into  different  channels,  without,  however,  seriously 
obstructing  the  navigation. 

The  land  which  divides  the  river  into  three  here  we  found  to 
be  mere  mud-banks,  half  overflowed,  and  covered  with  reeds. 
When  we  got  into  the  main  stream  I  found  it  suddenly  narrow- 
er, but  a  full  rushing  tide,  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  from  four 
to  five  fathoms  in  depth  all  along,  with  no  shallows  or  other  im- 
pediments to  navigation. 

On  the  28th  we  passed  numerous  towns,  my  men  shouting, 
singing,  and  firing  guns  at  every  inhabited  place,  and  the  people 
gazing  at  us  from  shore  in  great  wonder.  In  the  afternoon  I 
went  ashore  at  the  village  of  "  Charley,"  a  quarrelsome  fellow, 
who  had  become  known  to  white  traders  some  years  before  by 
seizing  and  imprisoning  a  whole  canoe-load  of  negroes  who  had 
been  sent  up  on  a  trading  expedition.  He  put  them  into  a  very 
uncomfortable  kind  of  stocks,  called  ntchogo,  which  consists  of  a 
heavy  billet  of  wood  in  which  the  feet  are  stuck,  and  a  lighter 
billet  into  which  the  hands  are  secured.  Thus  the  man  is  help- 
less both  against  men  and  against  musquitoes  and  flies.  And 
here  the  poor  fellows  were  kept  till  the  trader,  who  was  waiting 
in  a  ship,  sent  up  a  ransom  for  them. 

The  two  chiefs  treated  me  very  well,  and  said  they  felt  friendly 
toward  me,  as  indeed  they  showed  by  killing  in  my  honor  the 
fatted  calf  (it  was  a  goat),  and  sending  besides  some  chickens 
and  plantains.  They  were  much  alarmed  at  the  charmed  pistol 
(one  of  Colt's  revolvers)  which  I  fired  off  to  show  them  how  many 
of  them  I  could  kill  without  stopping ;  and  I  owe  my  safety,  in  * 
fact,  to  Mr.  Colt,  whose  wares  have  a  great  reputation  wherever  I 
have  been  in  Africa. 

We  slept  all  day,  and  toward  sunset  set  out  up  river  again.  I 


RECEPTION  AT  GOUMBI. 


295 


made  the  men  pull  all  night,  giving  them  tobacco  to  keep  them 
awake.  They  smoked,  sung  their  most  exciting  songs,  and,  when- 
ever we  passed  a  town,  fired  off  guns ;  being  determined,  so  they 
said,  to  let  all  the  country  know  that  their  white  man  was  ascend- 
ing the  Kembo. 

About  one  o'clock  the  next  day  (the  29th)  we  came  to  Goumbi, 
the  residence  of  King  Quengueza.  Here  we  were  received  in  a 
most  triumphant  manner.  I  could  not  make  myself  heard  for 
shouts  and  the  firing  of  guns.  The  whole  population  of  Goumbi 
crowded  down  to  the  shore  to  see  me ;  and  I  was  led  up  in  pro- 
cession to  an  immense  covered  space,  capable  of  holding  at  least  a 
thousand  people,  and  surrounded  by  seats.  These  were  quickly 
filled  up  by  the  people,  among  whom  I  presently  found  there  were 
strangers  from  various  parts  of  the  interior,  drawn  thither  by  the 
news  that  I  was  coming  up  to  Goumbi,  and  now  gazing  at  me,  and 
especially  at  my  hair,  with  the  greatest  wonder  in  their  counte- 
nances. 

A  large  high  seat  was  appointed  for  me,  and  another  close  to 
it  was  for  Quengueza,  who  presently  arrived,  and,  with  a  face 
beaming  with  joy,  shook  hands  with  me. 

He  is  an  old,  white-wooled  negro,  very  tall,  spare,  and  of  a  se- 
vere countenance,  betokening  great  energy  and  courage,  which  he 
has,  and  for  which  he  is  celebrated  all  over  this  country.  He  is 
a  very  remarkable  man,  for  his  opportunities ;  and  has  more  nat- 
ural intelligence  than  any  other  negro  I  met  in  Africa.  He  made 
haste  to  explain  to  me  that  he  was  in  mourning  for  his  brother, 
who  had  died  two  years  ago,  and  could  not,  therefore,  dress  fine- 
ly. He  had  on  a  finely-knit  black  cap,  and  a  cloth  of  black  also, 
both  of  Ashira  make,  and  really  beautiful ;  no  shirt — which  ar- 
ticle is  not  allowed  to  mourners — and  an  American  coat  too  small 
for  him. 

When  he  was  done  welcoming  me,  I  called  his  little  son,  Akoon- 
ga,  whom  he  had  sent  me  as  a  hostage,  and  who  had  been  brought 
up  in  my  canoe.  When  he  came  forward,  I  said  to  the  king,  in  a 
loud  voice,  that  the  people  might  hear,  "  You  sent  your  son  to  me 
to  keep,  so  that  I  might  feel  safe  to  come  to  you.  I  am  not 
afraid.  I  like  you,  and  can  trust  you.  I  believe  you  will  treat 
me  and  my  men  rightly ;  and  therefore  I  have  brought  your  lit- 
tle son  back  to  you.    I  do  not  want  him  for  safety." 

At  this  there  was  tremendous  shouting,  and  all  the  people  seem- 
ed overjoyed. 


296  QUENGUEZA'S  ADDRESS. 

Then  I  reminded  the  king  of  his  promise  to  let  me  go  into  the 
interior,  and  to  help  me.  The  king  and  the  people  shouted  ap- 
proval. Then  I  said  I  had  come  to  benefit  them.  I  had  brought 
goods,  and  would  buy  their  ebony  and  ivory,  as  much  as  they 
would  get.  At  this  announcement  the  shouts  and  rejoicings  grew 
boundless  and  obstreperous.  I  had  touched — as  I  expected — 
their  most  vital  nerve. 

The  king  then  rose  to  reply.  There  was  immediately  a  dead 
silence — for  Quengueza  is  honored  by  his  people.  He  first  gave 
me  a  large  house,  which  he  pointed  out  to  me.  It  had  a  veranda 
with  seats  in  front.    Then  he  turned  to  the  people,  and  said : 

"  This  is  my  ntangani  (white  man).  He  has  come  from  a  far 
country  to  see  me.  I  went  down  to  beg  him  to  come  up  to  me. 
Now  he  has  come.  Let  no  one  do  any  harm  to  his  people.  For 
him,  I  need  not  speak.  Give  food  to  his  people.  Treat  them 
well.  Do  not  steal  any  thing.  A  big  palaver  would  come  on 
you." 

Then  he  addressed  himself  to  the  Ashira  and  Bakalai,  who 
were  present,  saying,  "  Beware  !  Do  not  steal  my  white  man,  for. 
if  you  should  make  the  attempt,  I  would  sell  you  all." 

This  closed  the  ceremonies.  I  was  permitted  to  go  to  my  house : 
and  the  people  were  ordered  to  go  down  and  unload  my  boat,  and 
bring  my  things  up  to  the  house. 

Goumbi  is  ninety-five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  is 
the  last  town  of  the  Camma;  and  is  important  because  it  com- 
mands the  whole  of  the  up  river,  so  far  as  the  natives  are  con- 
cerned, by  an  hereditary  right.  The  Abouya  family,  who  reside 
in  Goumbi,  and  of  whom  Quengueza  is  the  chief,  claim,  and  are 
allowed  to  have,  the  sole  right  of  trading  up  river.  Sometimes 
they  allow  a  few  down-river  Camma  who  have  wives  in  Goumbi 
to  go  up  and  cut  ebony ;  but  even  this  privilege  is  sparingly 
granted,  and  for  all  intents  and  purposes  Quengueza  has  a  mo- 
nopoly of  all  the  commerce  with  the  rich  country  beyond,  and 
really  considers  the  people  who  live  above  him  as  his  vassals. 

It  is  very  singular  that  among  all  these  people  descent  and  in- 
heritance are  taken  from  the  mother.  The  son  of  a  Camma  man 
by  a  woman  of  another  tribe  or  nation  is  not  counted  a  Camma: 
and,  to  narrow  it  down  to  families,  to  be  a  true  Abouya  (citizen 
of  Goumbi),  it  is  necessary  to  be  born  of  an  Abouya  mother.  If 
only  the  father  were  Abouya,  the  children  would  be  considered 
half-breeds. 


QUENGUEZA'S  SUPERSTITIONS. 


297 


Up  to  Goumbi  there  is  safe  navigation  for  little  steamers  in 
almost  every  month,  of  the  year,  and  with  light-draught  steamers 
at  any  time.  The  river  is  deep  and  narrow,  and  the  banks  steep 
all  the  way  up.  About  fifteen  miles  above  Quayombi  the  cur- 
rent becomes  stronger.  Here  the  hills  come  down  to  the  river, 
receding,  however,  above.  The  country  seemed  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive ;  and  the  number  of  villages  we  passed  on  our  way  ar- 
gues well  for  its  fertility. 

On  the  1st  of  March  I  received  a  visit  from  one  Igoumba,  a 
chief  of  the  Ashiras,  an  interior  people.  He  had  fled  from  his 
home  because  he  had  been  accused  of  practicing  sorcery.  Also 
several  Bakalai  chiefs  came  to  see  me,  and  asked  me  to  visit  their 
country. 

Quengueza  was  all  this  time  perfectly  happy.  He  danced,  and 
sung,  and  made  jokes,  and  altogether  was  as  jolly  as  though  all 
his  wishes  and  desires  had  been  gratified  at  once.  He  gave  me 
back  his  little  boy,  Akoonga,  to  stay  with  me ;  and  as  Makon- 
dai  is  already  my  steward,  the  young  prince  has  been  appointed 
to  wash  my  dishes.  I  gave  Quengueza  his  present  of  fifty  yards 
of  cloth,  a  gun,  a  neptune,  and  some  beads,  etc.  He  was  greatly 
pleased,  and  promised  again  that  I  should  go  into  the  interior  as 
far  as  he  had  authority  and  influence.  He  is  an  unusually  sens- 
ible negro,  and  sees  how  my  explorations  may  be  of  great  benefit 
to  him  so  long  as  he  holds  the  key  of  the  country. 

Nevertheless,  he  is  curiously  superstitious.  For  a  year  he  had  • 
not  passed  down  a*  street  which  leads  most  directly  to  the  water, 
but  had  gone  always  a  roundabout  way.  This,  because  when  he 
came  to  the  throne  this  street  was  pronounced  to  be  bewitched  by 
an  enemy  of  his ;  and  he  was  persuaded  that  if  he  passed  by  it  he 
would  surely  die.  Several  times  efforts  had  been  made  by  dis- 
tinguished doctors  to  drive  away  the  witch  which  there  lay  in 
wait ;  but  the  king,  though  he  believed  in  sorcery,  did  not  have 
much  faith  in  the  exorcisers  ©r  doctors. 

A  last  attempt  to  drive  off  the  aniemba  or  witch  was  made 
on  the  night  of  March  2d-3d.  A  famous  doctor  from  the  far-off 
Bakalai  country  had  been  brought  down  to  perform  this  act. 
His  name  was  Aquailai.  The  people  gathered  in  great  numbers 
under  the  immense  hangar  or  covered  space  in  which  I  had  been 
received,  and  there  lit  fires,  around  which  they  sat.  The  space 
thus  covered  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  by  forty  wide, 


298 


EXOECISING  A  WITCH. 


and  roofed  with  bamboo  and  leaves.  About  ten  o'clock,  when  it 
was  pitch  dark,  the  doctor  commenced  operations  by  singing  some 
boasting  songs,  recounting  his  power  over  witches.  This  was  the 
signal  for  all  the  people  to  gather  into  their  houses  and  about 
their  fires  under  the  hangar.  So  much  haste  did  they  make,  that 
two  women,  failing  to  get  home,  and  afraid  to  go  farther  through 
the  streets,  took  refuge  in  my  house. 

Next  all  the  fires  were  carefully  extinguished,  all  the  lights  put 
out ;  and  in  about  an  hour  more  not  a  light  of  any  kind  was  in 
the  whole  town  except  mine.  I  gave  notice  that  white  men  were 
exempted  from  the  rules  made  in  such  cases,  and  this  was  allowed. 
The  most  pitchy  darkness  and  the  most  complete  silence  reigned 
every  where.  No  voice  could  be  heard,  even  in  a  whisper,  among 
the  several  thousand  people  gathered  in  the  gloom. 

At  last  the  curious  silence  was  broken  by  the  doctor,  who, 
standing  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  began  some  loud  babbling 
which  I  could  not  make  out  the  meaning  of.  From  time  to  time 
the  people  answered  him  in  chorus.  This  went  on  for  an  hour, 
and  was  really  one  of  the  strangest  scenes  I  ever  took  part  in.  I 
could  see  nothing  but  the  faces  of  the  two  women  in  my  house, 
who  were  badly  frightened,  poor  things,  as,  in  fact,  all  the  people 
were.  The  hollow  voice  of  the  witch-doctor  resounded  curiously 
through  the  silence;  and  when  the  answer  of  man}*  mingled  voices 
came  through  the  darkness,  it  really  assumed  the  air  of  a  serious, 
old-fashioned  incantation  scene. 

At  last,  just  at  midnight,  I  heard  the  doctor  approach.  He  had 
bells  girded  about  him,  which  he  jingled  as  he  walked.  He  went 
separately  to  every  family  in  the  town,  and  asked  if  to  them  be- 
longed the  witch  which  obstructed  the  king's  highway.  Of 
course  all  answered  no.  Then  he  began  to  run  up  and  down  the 
bewitched  street,  calling  out  loudly  for  the  witch  to  go  off.  Pres- 
ently he  came  back  and  announced  that  he  could  no  longer  see 
the  aniamba,  and  that  doubtless  she. had  gone  never  to  come  back. 
At  this  all  the  people  rushed  out  and  shouted,  "  Go  away !  go 
away !  and  never  come  back  to  hurt  our  king  I" 

Then  fires  were  lit,  and  we  all  sat  down  to  eat.  This  done,  all 
the  fires  were  once  more  extinguished,  and  all  the  people  sung 
wild  songs  until  four  o'clock.    Then  the  fires  were  again  lit. 

At  sunrise  the  whole  population  gathered  to  accompany  their 
king  down  the  dreaded  street  to  the  water. 


WEALTH  AT  GOUMBI. 


299 


Quengueza,  I  know,  was  brave  as  a  hunter  and  as  a  warrior. 
He  was  also  intelligent  in  many  things  where  his  people  were 
very  stupid.  But  the  poor  old  king  was  now  horribly  afraid. 
He  was  assured  that  the  witch  was  gone;  but  he  evidently  thought 
himself  walking  to  almost  certain  death.  He  would  have  refused 
to  go  if  it  had  been  possible.  He  hesitated,  but  at  last  determined 
to  face  his  fate,  and  walked  manfully  down  to  the  river  and  back 
amid  the  plaudits  of  his  loyal  subjects. 

By  the  6th  matters  began  to  be  put  in  train  for  some  hunting 
expeditions.  Food  was  scarce  in  town  on  account  of  the  great 
number  of  strangers  present ;  but  the  king's  thirty  wives — he  has 
only  this  moderate  number — bring  food  for  me  and  my  men  ev- 
ery day.  Quengueza  has  given  me  Etia,  his  favorite  hunter  and 
slave,  for  a  guide  in  the  bush.  This  Etia  is  a  fine-looking  old 
man,  belonging  far  in  the  interior,  whence  the  king  bought  him 
many  years  ago.  He  lives  now  on  a  little  plantation  outside  of 
town,  where  he  has  a  neat  house  and  a  nice  old  wife,  who  always 
treated  me  in  a  kind  motherly  way.  Etia's  business  is  to  supply 
the  royal  larder  with  "bush-meat;"  and  he  hunts  almost  every 
week  for  this  purpose. 

Also,  Quengueza  gave  me  Mombon,  his  overseer,  chamberlain, 
steward,  man  of  business — factotum ;  the  man  whose  place  it 
was  to  take  care  of  the  king's  private  affairs,  set  his  slaves  to 
work,  oversee  his  plantations,  and  who  had  the  care  of  the  keys 
of  the  royal  houses.  Mombon  was  to  see  that  I  was  made  com- 
fortable in  town. 

A  man's  wealth  is  reckoned  here,  first  by  the  number  of  slaves 
he  owns,  next  by  the  number  of  wives,  and  then  by  the  number 
of  chests.  Chests  are  used  to  secure  goods  in.  Therefore  chests 
have  come  to  be  the  synonym  here  for  property  of  this  kind,  as 
banks  signify  money  with  us.  Now  chests,  to  be  secure,  must 
have  locks,  and  therefore  locks  of  American  make  are  in  great 
demand  all  over  this  country.  Native  locks  are  not  very  secure. 
But  as  locks  secure  chests,  so  keys  are  worn  in  great  numbers  as 
the  outward  symbol  of  ownership  in  locks,  and  chests,  and  prop- 
erty. And  I  found  shams  even  in  Goumbi,  for  several  of  my 
Camma  friends  had  a  great  array  of  chests,  most  of  which  were 
empty ;  and  indeed  it  is  the  mode  to  collect  as  many  boxes  as  you 
can,  no  matter  if  you  have  nothing  to  put  in  them. 

Some  of  their  houses  have  locks  also.    But  to  have  a  lock  you 


300 


A  HUNTING  PARTY. 


must  have  a  door ;  and  though  this  door  is  but  a  very  narrow, 
shabby  affair,  a  whole  great  tree  must  be  whittled  down  with  their 
rude  axes  to  make  the  board  which  shall  answer  for  a  door. 
Therefore  doors  are  a  luxury  in  Goumbi,  as  indeed  also  on  the 
coast. 

On  Sunday,  the  7th,  I  rested,  and  had  a  talk  with  the  people,  try- 
ing to  explain  to  them  something  about  the  one  true  God,  and  the 
absurdity  of  their  superstitions.  They  have  always  one  answer  to 
every  thing  a  white  man  says  against  their  customs,  and  this  was 
brought  forward  this  day,  as  usual.  An  old  man  said,  "  You  are 
white,  we  are  black.  The  God  who  made  you  did  not  make  us. 
You  are  one  kind  of  people,  we  are  another.  You  are  mbuiri 
(spirits),  and  do  not  need  all  the  fetiches  and  idols  that  we  have. 
We  are  poor  people,  and  need  them.  God  gave  you  the  good 
things.    To  us  he  has  not  given  any  thing." 

It  is  difficult  to  meet  this  point  of  difference  of  race,  which  is 
asserted  in  all  good  faith  by  every  honest  negro  you  meet  in  Af- 
rica. You  can  not  convince  them  that  they  and  we  are  all  men 
and  brethren.  And  till  you  do  this,  they  remain  strong  in  their 
superstitions. 

On .  the  8th  we  started  out  for  a  two  days'  hunt.  Etia  and 
Gambo,  the  latter  a  son  of  Igoumba,  an  Ashira  chief,  and  a  noted 
hunter,  and  a  few  others,  with  myself,  made  up  the  party.  We 
set  out  from  Etia's  house,  where  the  old  fellow  had  skulls  of  ele- 
phants, hippopotami,  leopards,  and  gorillas  ranged  around  as  tro- 
phies of  his  prowess.  Gambo  was  an  ill-looking  fellow,  by  rea- 
son of  being  much  pitted  with  the  small-pox ;  but  he  had  fiery 
eyes,  good  courage,  and  a  kind  heart,  as  I  discovered. 

I  was  amused  at  a  remark  Quengueza  made,  as  we  started  from 
the  town  together.  "  See,"  said  he,  to  some  people,  "  how  hunt- 
ers love  each  other.  No  matter  if  they  come  from  different  na- 
tions, and  are  different  people.  See  how  my  white  man  loves 
these  black  hunters." 

We  had  been  going  through  the  woods  about  three  hours,  when 
at  last  we  came  upon  fresh  gorilla-tracks.  Etia  now  set  out  for 
himself,  while  Gambo  and  I  walked  silently  in  another  direction. 
The  gorilla  is  so  difficult  of  approach  that  we  had  literally  to 
creep  through  the  thick  woods  when  in  their  vicinity.  The  dead 
silence  and  the  tediousness  of  the  approach,  together  with  the  fact 
that  the  hunter  can  not  expect  to  see  his  enemy  till  he  is  close 


FEMALE  GORILLA  KILLED. 


301 


upon  him,  while  even  then  the  gloom  of  the  forest  makes  him 
but  dimly  visible — all  this  makes  the  hunt  of  this  animal  most 
trying  to  the  nerves.  For  it  is  in  the  hunter's  mind  that,  if 
he  misses — if  his  bullet  does  not  speed  to  the  most  fatal  point, 
the  wounded  and  infuriated  animal  will  make  short  work  of  his 
opponent. 

As  we  crept  silently  along,  suddenly  the  woods  resounded  with 
the  report  of  a  gun.  We  sped  at  once  toward  the  quarter  whence 
the  report  came,  and  there  found  old  Etia  sitting  complacently 
upon  the  dead  body  of  the  largest  female  gorilla  I  ever  saw.  He 
had  bit  her  fatally  with  his  first  ball.  The  total  height  of  the  an- 
imal was  4  feet  7  inches ;  length  of  the  hand,  7-J  inches ;  length  of 
the  foot  from  the  hair  comprising  the  heel,  8£  inches ;  round  of 
hand  above  the  thumb,  9 J  inches ;  do.  do.  under  the  thumb,  9 
inches.  Length  of  the  fingers  (hands) :  thumb,  If  inches ;  first  fin- 
ger, 4  inches ;  second  do.,  4J  inches ;  third  do.,  3£  inches ;  fourth 
do.,  3£  inches.  Circumference  of  the  fingers  (hands) :  thumb,  2f 
inches ;  first  finger,  3£  inches ;  second  do.,  4  inches ;  third  do.,  3-J 
inches;  fourth  do.,  3  inches.  Circumference  of  the  toes:  thumb,  3^ 
inches ;  first  finger,  2f  inches ;  second  do.,  2£  inches ;  third  do.,  2^ 
inches ;  fourth  do.,  If  inches.  This  was  a  huge  animal  for  a  fe- 
male, for  these  are  always  much  smaller  than  the  males. 

The  next  morning  I  heard  a  great  commotion  on  the  planta- 
tion, and  learned  that  an  old  doctor,  named  Olanga-Condo,  was  to 
drink  the  mbounclou.  This  is  an  intoxicating  poison,  which  is 
believed  by  these  people  to  confer  on  the  drinker,  if  it  clo  not  kill 
him,  the  power  of  divination.  It  is  much  used  in  all  this  part  of 
the  country  to  try  persons  accused  of  witchcraft.  A  poor  fellow 
is  supposed  to  have  bewitched  his  neighbor,  or  the  king,  and  he 
is  forced  to  drink  mboundou  to  establish  his  innocence.  If  the 
man  dies  he  is  declared  a  witch.  If  he  survives  he  is  innocent. 
This  ordeal  is  much  dreaded  by  the  negroes,  who  often  run  away 
from  home  and  stay  away  all  their  lives  rather  than  submit  to 
it.  The  doctors  have  the  reputation  of  being  unharmed  by  the 
mboundou ;  and  I  am  bound  to  admit  that  Olanga  drank  it  with- 
out serious  consequences.  Nevertheless,  it  is  a  deadly  and  speedy 
poison.  I  have  seen  it  administered,  and  have  seen  the  poor 
drinker  fall  down  dead,  with  blood  gushing  from  his  mouth,  eyes, 
and  nose  in  five  minutes  after  taking  the  dose.  I  was  told  by  a 
native  friend  that  sometimes,  when  the  mboundou-drinker  is  real- 


802 


POISON  ORDEAL. 


ly  bated,  the  dose  is  strengthened  secretly ;  and  this  was  the  case. 
I  suppose,  in  those  instances  where  I  saw  it  prove  fatal. 

This  time  I  overlooked  the  whole  operation.  Several  of  the 
natives  took  the  root  and  scraped  it  into  a  bowl.    To  this  a  pint 


MBOUKDOC  LEAF  (HALT  6IZE).* 


of  water  was  poured.  In  about  a  minute  fermentation  took  place. 
When  this  subsided,  Olanga  was  called  by  his  friends.  The 
drinker  is  not  permitted  to  be  present  at  the  preparation  of  the 
mboundou,  but  he  may  send  two  friends  to  see  that  all  is  fair. 

When  Olanga  came,  he  emptied  the  bowl  at  a  draught.  In 
about  five  minutes  the  poison  took  effect.  He  began  to  stagger 
about.  His  eyes  were  injected.  His  limbs  twitched  convulsive- 
ly. His  speech  grew  thick.  Then  his  urine  passed  from  him  in- 
voluntarily several  times.  This  is  considered  a  sign  that  the  poi- 
son will  not  be  fatal.    The  man's  whole  behavior  now  was  that 

*  I  gave  to  Prof.  John  Torrey,  of  New  York,  some  of  the  leaves  and  root  of  this 
remarkable  plant  for  chemical  analysis,  and  insert  here  the  note  in  which  he  commu- 
nicates his  opinion  as  to  its  properties  and  chemical  affinities. 

"96  St.  Mark's  Place,  Xew  York,  Xov.  27th,  1SG0. 

"Mr  dear  Sir, — The  leaf  and  root  of  the  mboundou  which  you  placed  in  my  hands 
for  examination  are  insufficient  materials  for  determining  with  certainty  the  plant  to 
which  they  belong.  From  the  intensely  poisonous  quality  of  the  root,  and  the  symp- 
toms which  result  from  its  administration,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  active 
principle  is  a  vegeto-alkali  belonging  to  the  Strychnine  group.  Under  a  powerful 
glass,  I  have  not  been  able  to  detect  any  crystalline  salt  in  the  bark.  The  taste  of 
the  infusion  is  extremely  bitter.  The  ligneous  portion  of  the  bark  is  much  less  active, 
is  very  hard,  and,  from  the  numerous  annual  rings,  it  must  be  of  very  slow  growth. 

"The  mboundou  pretty  certainly  belongs  to  a  natural  order  that  contains  many 
venomous  plants  —  viz.,  the  Logakiace*  ;  and,  from  the  peculiar  veining  of  the 
leaves,  it  is  probably  a  species  of  Strychnos,  belonging  to  that  section  of  the  genus 
which  includes  S.  mix  vomica.  Yours  truly,  Jojax  Tokrev. 

"Mr.  Paul  B.  Du  Cuaillu." 


A  MBOUNDOU  PROPHET. 


303 


of  a  drunken  man.  He  began  to  babble  wildly ;  and  now  it  was 
supposed  that  tlie  inspiration  was  upon  him.  Immediately  they 
began  to  ask  him  whether  any  man  was  trying  to  bewitch  Quen- 
gueza.  This  question  was  repeated  several  times.  At  last  he  said, 
Yes,  some  one  was  trying  to  bewitch  the  king.  Then  came  the 
»  query,  "  Who  ?"  But  by  this  time  the  poor  fellow  was  fortunate- 
ly hopelessly  tipsy,  and  incapable  of  reasonable  speech.  He  bab- 
bled some  unintelligible  jargon,  and  presently  the  palaver  was 
declared  over. 

While  he  was  being  questioned,  about  one  hundred  people  sat 
around  with  sticks  in  their  hands.  These  they  beat  regularly 
upon  the  ground,  and  sung  in  a  monotone, 

"  If  he  is  a  witch,  let  the  mboundou  kill  him. 

"  If  he  is  not,  let  the  mboundou  go  out." 

The  whole  ceremony  lasted  about  half  an  hour ;  and  when  it 
was  over  the  people  dispersed,  and  Olanga,  who  had  by  that  time 
partially  recovered,  lay  down  to  sleep.  I  was  told  that  this  old 
Olanga  could  drink  the  poison  in  very  considerable  quantities 
and  at  frequent  intervals,  with  no  other  ill  effect  than  this  intox- 
ication. This  gave  him,  of  course,  a  great  name  among  these 
superstitious  people. 

When  the  mboundou  ceremony  was  over  we  returned  to  Goum- 
bi.  Next  day  (the  10th)  we  were  to  go  to  a  considerable  distance, 
to  a  spot  where  Etia  gave  me  hopes  we  should  catch  a  young  go- 
rilla alive,  perhaps.  This  I  was  most  anxious  of  all  to  do.  I 
would  have  gone  through  any  hardships  and  peril  to  get  one 
large  enough  to  be  kept  alive. 

This  time  we  had  a  large  party  :  Etia,  Gambo,  myself,  and  ten 
men,  each  armed  and  laden  with  provisions  for  a  couple  of  days. 
The  men  were  covered  with  fetiches  and  charms.  They  had 
painted  their  faces  red,  and  had  cut  their  hands — this  bleeding  of 
the  hands  being  done  for  luck.  The  fellows  were  very  nearly 
naked — but  this  is  their  usual  habit. 

As  for  me,  I  had  also  made  extra  preparations.  I  had  black- 
ened my  face  and  hands  with  powdered  charcoal  and  oil,  and  my 
blue  drilling  shirt  and  trowsers  and  black  shoes  made  me  as  dark 
as  any  of  them.  My  revolver  hung  at  my  side,  with  ammunition- 
bag  and  brandy-flask.  My  rifle  lay  upon  my  shoulder.  All  this 
excited  the  admiration  of  the  crowd  who  assembled  to  see  us  go 
out. 


304 


NEGRO  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


Quengueza  was  greatly  delighted,  and  exclaimed,  "  What  kind 
of  ntangani  (white  man)  is  this  ?  He  fears  nothing ;  he  cares  for 
neither  sun  nor  water ;  he  loves  nothing  but  the  hunt." 

The  old  fellow  charged  the  people  to  take  great  care  of  his 
white  man,  and  to  defend  him  with  their  lives  if  need  be. 

We  traveled  all  day,  and  about  sunset  came  to  a  little  river.  . 
Here  we  began  at  once  to  make  a  fire  and  leafy  shelters  for  the 
night.  Scarce  was  the  firewood  gathered,  and  we  safely  bestowed 
under  our  shelters,  than  a  storm  came  up,  which  lasted  half  an 
hour.  Then  all  was  clear  once  more.  We  cooked  plantains  and 
smoked  fish.  I  fried  a  piece  of  ham  for  myself ;  and,  with  tobac- 
co afterward,  we  were  as  jolly  as  could  be.  Now  came  stories  of 
gorillas,  to  which  I  always  listened  with  great  interest.  The  na- 
tives of  the  whole  gorilla  region  have  like  superstitions  about 
these  ferocious  beasts,  though  each  relater  speaks  from  different 
authority. 

"  I  remember,"  said  one,  "  my  father  told  me  he  once  went  out 
to  the  forest,  when  just  in  his  path  he  met  a  great  gorilla.  My 
father  had  his  spear  in  his  hands ;  when  the  gorilla  saw  the  spear 
he  began  to  roar.  Then  my  father  was  terrified  and  dropped  his 
spear.  When  the  gorilla  saw  that  my  father  dropped  the  spear 
he  was  pleased.  Lie  looked  at  him,  then  left  him  and  went  into 
the  thick  forest.  Then  my  father  was  glad,  and  went  on  his 
way." 

Here  all  shouted  together,  "  Yes !  so  we  must  do  when  we  meet 
the  gorilla.    Drop  the  spear.    That  appeases  him." 

Next  Gambo  spoke :  "  Several  dry  seasons  ago  a  man  suddenly 
disappeared  from  my  village  after  an  angry  quarrel.  Some  time 
after  an  Ashira  of  that  village  was  out  in  the  forest.  He  met  a 
very  large  gorilla.  That  gorilla  was  the  man  who  had  disap- 
peared. He  had  turned  into  a  gorilla.  He  jumped  on  the  poor 
Ashira,  and  bit  a  piece  out  of  his  arm.  Then  he  let  him  go. 
Then  the  man  came  back,  with  his  bleeding  arm.  He  told  me 
this.  I  hope  we  shall  meet  no  such  man-gorillas.  They  are  verv 
wicked.    We  would  have  terrible  times." 

Chorus.  "  No,  we  shall  not  meet  such  wicked  gorillas." 

Then  one  of  the  men  spoke  up :  "  If  we  kill  a  gorilla  to-mor- 
row, I  should  like  to  have  a  piece  of  the  brain  for  my  fetich. 
Nothing  makes  a  man  so  brave  as  to  have  a  fetich  of  gorilla  'a 
brain.    This  gives  a  man  strong  heart," 


YOUNG  GORILLA  CAPTURED. 


305 


Chorus  (of  those  who  remained  awake).  "  Yes !  This  gives  a 
man  strong  heart !" 

Thus  we  gradually  dropped  off  asleep. 

Next  morning  we  cleaned  and  reloaded  our  guns,  and  started 
off  to  the  hunting-ground.  There  is  a  particular  little  berry  of 
which  the  gorilla  is  very  fond,  and  where  this  is  found  in  abund- 
ance you  are  sure  to  meet  the  animal.  We  had  gone  on  about 
an  hour  when  we  heard  the  cry  of  a  young  gorilla  after  its  moth- 
er. Etia  heard  it  first,  and  at  once  pointed  out  the  direction  in 
which  it  was. 

At  once  we  began  to  walk  with  greater  caution  than  before, 
and  presently  Etia  and  Gambo  crept  ahead,  as  they  were  expert 
with  the  net,  and  also  the  best  woodsmen.  I  unwillingly  remain- 
ed behind,  but  dared  not  go  with  them  lest  my  clumsier  move- 
ments should  betray  our  presence. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  heard  two  guns  fired.  Eunning  up 
we  found  the  mother-gorilla  shot,  but  her  little  one  had  escaped. 
They  had  not  been  able  to  catch  it. 

The  poor  mother  lay  there  in  her  gore,  but  the  little  fellow  was 
off  in  the  woods ;  so  we  concealed  ourselves  near  by  to  wait  for 
its  return.  Presently  it  came  up,  jumped  on  its  mother,  began 
sucking  at  her  breasts  and  fondling  her.  Then  Etia,  Gambo,  and 
I  rushed  upon  it.  Though  evidently  less  than  two  years  old,  it 
proved  very  strong,  and  escaped  from  us.  But  we  gave  chase, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  had  it  fast ;  not,  however,  before  one  of 
the  men  had  his  arm  severely  bitten  by  the  wicked  little  wretch. 

It  proved  to  be  a  young  female.  We  carried  it  back  to  the 
mother,  first  securing  it  with  some  stout  cords  and  sticks.  It  ran 
to  its  dead  mother,  and  in  a  touching  way  buried  its  head  in  her 
bosom,  and  seemed  really  to  feel  grief. 

"We  determined  to  go  back  to  the  camp  for  the  day.  The 
mother  was  at  once  skinned,  and  I  took  skin  and  skeleton,  while 
the  men  divided  the  meat  among  them.  The  little  one  was  then 
carried  along,  but  proved  very  troublesome,  making  savage  at- 
tempts to  bite  all  who  came  near  her. 

The  mother  gorilla  was  4  feet  4  inches  in  height.  The  little 
one  was  2  feet  1  inch  high.  I  lost  the  skin  of  the  old  one,  which 
was  spoiled  before  I  could  prepare  it. 

The  little  one,  unhappily,  lived  but  ten  days  after  capture.  It 
persistently  refused  to  eat  any  cooked  food,  and  any  thing,  in  fact, 

U 


306  HABITS  OF  THE  YOUNG  GORILLA. 

but  the  nuts  and  berries  which  they  eat  in  the  forest,  and  which 
my  men  were  obliged  to  gather  daily  for  its  use.  It  was  not  so 
ferocious  as  the  male  I  had  before,  but  quite  as  treacherous  and 
quite  as  untamable.  It  permitted  no  one  to  approach  it  without 
making  offensive  demonstrations.  Its  eyes  seemed  somewhat 
milder,  but  had  the  same  gloomy  and  treacherous  look ;  and  she 
had  the  same  way  as  my  other  intractable  captive  of  looking  you 
straight  in  the  eyes  when  she  was  meditating  an  attack.  I  re- 
marked also  the  same  manoeuvre  practiced  by  the  other  when 
she  wished  to  seize  something — say  my  leg,  which,  by  reason  of 
her  chain,  she  could  not  reach  with  her  arm:  she  looked  me 
straight  in  the  face,  then  quick  as  a  flash  threw  her  body  on  one 
leg  and  arm,  and  reached  out  with  the  other  leg.  Several  times 
I  had  narrow  escapes  of  a  grip  from  her  strong  great  toe.  I 
thought  I  saw  sometimes  that  when  she  looked  at  me  it  was  as 
though  she  was  cross-eyed,  but  of  this  I  could  not  make  certain. 
All  her  motions  were  remarkably  quick,  and  her  strength,  though 
so  small  and  young,  was  extraordinary. 

While  she  was  alive  no  woman  who  was  encienle,  nor  the  hus- 
band of  such  woman,  dared  approach  her  cage.  They  believe 
firmly  that  should  the  husband  of  a  woman  with  child,  or  the 
woman  herself,  see  a  gorilla,  even  a  dead  one,  she  would  give 
birth  to  a  gorilla,  and  not  to  a  man  child.  This  superstition  I 
have  noticed  among  other  tribes  too. 

"When  we  returned  to  town  I  found  the  kin^r  making  a  tre- 
mendous  row  about  the  misconduct  of  a  piece  of  property  he  had 
inherited  from  his  deceased  brother.  I  have  already  explained 
that  in  this  country  the  children  do  not  inherit.  When  a  man 
dies,  his  brothers,  if  he  has  any,  come  into  possession  of  his  prop- 
erty. If  there  are  no  brothers,  then  cousins,  uncles,  and  only  in 
the  last  resort  children.  It  should  be  added  that  property  means 
chiefly  slaves  and  wives.  The  house  remains  to  the  widows  till 
the  mourning-time  is  over,  and  is  then  burned  down.  Plantations 
are  not  property,  because  any  man  may  cultivate  any  piece  of 
land,  but  holds  only  during  use.  Guns  and  such  personal  prop- 
erty are  all  divided  immediately  after  death. 

Now  the  piece  of  property  which  had  caused  Quengueza's  ire 
was  the  favorite  wife  of  the  deceased  king.  The  mourning-time 
was  nearly  over,  and  Quengueza  had  announced  that  the  royal 
widows  should  be  divided  among  his  male  relatives — cousins — he 


A  WOMAN  PALAVER 


307 


reserving  to  himself  only  one  or  two  of  the  best-looking.  Now 
the  royal  fancy  had  been  set  particularly  upon  this  one  in  ques- 
tion, and  she,  with  feminine  perverseness,  had  been  caught  in 
an  intrigue  with  a  common — but  very  good-looking — fellow  of  the 
town.  Quengueza  was  highly  enraged.  He  swore  he  would  not 
take  a  single  one  of  his  brother's  widows.  He  swore  revenge  on 
the  fellow  who  had  so  displaced  him.  The  people  were  very 
much  distressed.  They  came  in  a  body  and  begged  him  to  take 
at  least  two  of  his  brother's  wives.  The  town  was  agitated  the 
whole  day  upon  the  important  question ;  and  I  was  pleased  to 
hear  at  sunset  that  Quengueza  had  at  last  thought  it  best  to  ac- 
cede to  the  wishes  of  his  people.    So  that  fuss  was  over. 

The  poor  fellow  who  caused  such  a  popular  commotion  sent 
slaves  to  his  majesty  as  a  peace-offering.  But  his  majesty  grand- 
ly sent  them  back,  and  with  them  word  tha^  he  would  receive 
nothing  from  one  who  had  so  injured  him. 

For  several  days  I  hunted  the  woods  near  Goumbi,  shooting 
chiefly  birds.  I  find  the  birds  and  also  the  quadrupeds  of  this 
region  very  much  the  same  as  in  the  Cape  Lopez  interior.  The 
soil  appears  rich,  and  thick  forests  prevail  hereabouts.  Ebony  is 
cut  a  little  farther  up  the  river.  India-rubber  vines  I  have  not 
seen  in  such  plenty  here.  Elephants  are  abundant  some  twenty 
miles  off.  But  ebony  is  like  to  be  the  chief  produce  of  the  vicin- 
ity of  Goumbi. 

On  the  18th  of  March  I  asked  Quengueza  to  expedite  me  to 
the  interior.  The  Bakalai  and  Ashira  chiefs  had  both  asked  me 
to  come  to  their  country,  assuring  me  good  hunts  and  kind  treat- 
ment. Quengueza  spoke  of  more  presents,  as  a  way  of  enhancing 
his  importance  among  the  neighboring  tribes.  I  gave  him  some 
things,  and  "trusted"  him  with  $200  worth  of  goods,  for  which  he 
is  to  give  me  ebony  when  I  return  from  the  interior.  I  also  trust- 
ed four  of  the  chief  men  of  the  town.  At  this  the  whole  popula- 
tion was  extravagantly  delighted,  for  this  gave  them  all  profitable 
employment  at  cutting  ebony. 

At  last,  on  the  22d,  we  got  off  for  up  the  river.  Quengueza  and 
I  with  my  baggage  were  in  a  large  canoe,  which  had  twenty-two 
paddlers.  The  Ashira  and  Bakalai  chiefs  followed  in  other  ca- 
noes, and  to  them  followed  several  Goumbi  canoes.  It  was  in- 
tensely hot.  Even  the  negroes  suffered ;  and,  though  I  had  a 
thick  umbrella  over  my  head  and  sat  quite  still,  I  had  frequently 
to  bathe  my  head,  for  I  feared  a  sun-stroke. 


308 


GREAT  HEAT. 


The  river  is  narrow  but  quite  deep  above  Goumbi,  and  the  cur- 
rent is  much  stronger  than  below.  It  is,  in  fact,  now  a  real  and 
live  river,  flowing  in  a  deep  channel  between  high  lands  and  hills. 
Here  I  fancy  the  dry  season  does  not  diminish  it  so  much  but 
what  steamers  may  always  safely  navigate. 

Every  body  complained  but  my  little  Makondai.  The  little 
rascal  had  a  pride  in  all  he  endured  in  my  company.  He  is  the 
most  spirited  little  negro  I  ever  saw,  a  real  little  hero ;  and  I  am 
glad  I  took  him  along,  though  it  was  hard  for  him  sometimes. 

The  first  town  we  stopped  at  was  Akaka,  the  first  of  the  Baka- 
lai  towns,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Goumbi.  From  here  I  could 
see  the  high  mountains  of  the  far  interior.  They  rose  blue  against 
the  sky  to  the  E.N.E. ;  and  I  should  think  the  nearest  hills  could 
not  have  been  more  than  thirty-five  miles  away  on  an  air-line. 
The  high  blue  peaks  were  much  farther  off,  of  course.  But  these 
farthest  peaks  I  hoped  yet  to  reach,  there  to  plant  the  American 
flag  where  no  white  man  had  stood  before. 

A  little  before  we  got  to  Akaka  we  came  to  a  holy  place  on  the 
river,  called  Evendja-  Quengouai.  Here  all  hands  got  out  of  the 
canoes  to  dance.  It  is  the  rule  that  all  who  have  not  passed  up 
the  river  before  shall  sing  a  song  of  praise  to  the  god  of  the  place, 
and  pluck  a  branch  from  a  tree  which  must  be  set  in  the  mud 
near  the  shore.  This  is  for  luck.  Poor  Makondai  was  hurried 
off  to  take  his  share  in  the  devotions  before  I  knew  what  was  go- 
ing to  be  done.  I  also  was  invited,  but  told  Quengueza  that  there 
was  but  one  God,  to  whom  I  trusted  all  of  us. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "that  is  good  for  you.  But  we  must  have 
many.    We  are  poor.    "We  are  not  like  you  white  men." 

In  the  afternoon  we  lay  by  at  a  plantation,  while  a  terrible  rain- 
storm burst  over  the  country,  cooling  the  air  deliciously.  These 
storms,  which  come  up  at  this  season  nearly  every  day,  help  one  to 
bear  the  dreadful  heat  which,  without  this  relief,  would  be,  I  be- 
lieve, insupportable.  To-day  at  noon  my  thermometer  stood  at 
119°  Fahrenheit  in  the  shade  of  my  umbrella. 

"When  we  stopped  for  breakfast  next  day,  I  noticed  a  little  way 
from  us  an  extraordinary  tree,  quite  the  largest  in  height  and  cir- 
cumference I  ever  saw  in  Africa.  It  was  a  real  monarch  of  even 
this  great  forest.  It  rose  in  one  straight  and  majestic  trunk  en- 
tirely branchless,  till  the  top  reached  far  above  all  the  surround- 
ing trees.    There  at  the  top  the  branches  were  spread  out  some- 


: 


OBINDJI. 


309 


what  like  an  umbrella,  but  could  not  give  much  shade,  being  so 
high.  I  found  that  this  tree  was  highly  venerated  by  the  people, 
who  call  it  the  oloumi.  Its  kind  are  not  common  even  here, 
where  its  home  is  said  to  be.  Its  bark  is  said  to  have  certain 
healing  properties,  and  is  also  in  request  from  a  belief  that  if  a 
man  going  off  on  a  trading  expedition  washes  himself  first  all 
over  in  a  decoction  of  its  juices  in  water,  he  will  be  lucky  and 
-shrewd  in  making  bargains.  For  this  reason  great  strips  were 
torn  off  this  tree  to  the  height  of  at  least  twenty  feet. 

In  the  afternoon  we  passed  a  creek  or  bayou,  called  the  Eliva- 
monos — so  called  because  of  the  exceeding  abundance  there  of 
that  delicious  fish  the  mullet.  Bakalai  villages  now  became 
more  frequent ;  and  I  see  that  these  people  are  more  energetic 
and  provident  than  the  sea-shore  tribes.  At  Mpopo  I  saw  thou- 
sands of  plantain-trees  surrounding  the  village.  Finally  we  ar- 
rived at  the  village  of  Obindji,  a  chief  who  is  a  great  friend  of 
Quengueza's,  and  with  whom  we  shall  make  our  head-quarters 
for  a  while. 

The  people  rushed  down  to  the  banks  to  see  me,  none  of  them 
having  ever  seen  a  white  man  before.  They  looked  at  me  with 
great  curiosity,  and  particularly  admired  my  hair,  which  is  al- 
ways an  object  of  curiosity  to  the  Africans. 

We  came  up  firing  guns  and  singing  songs.  "When  we  ap- 
proached the  shore  Obindji  came  down  in  great  state,  dressed  in 
his  silk  hat  (the  crown),  a  coat  and  shirt,  and  a  nice  cloth.  He 
was  ringing  his  kendo,  a  bell,  which  is  the  insignia  of  kingship 
here — something  like  a  royal  sceptre. 

I  said,  "  Why  do  you  ring  your  kendo?" 

He  replied,  "  Obindji's  heart  is  glad,  and  he  thanks  his 
Mboundji  that  he  has  to-day  come  up  higher  than  he  ever  stood 
before.    A  white  man  has  come  to  see  Obindji." 

When  we  were  landed,  and  the  two  kings  and  I  were  seated  in 
chairs,  the  grand  reception  began.  Quengueza  gave  a  relation  of 
his  entire  intercourse  with  me  from  the  time  he  came  down  to  see 
me  to  the  present  hour.  All  was  said  in  short  sentences ;  and 
the  people  who  listened  gave  frequent  approval.  Then  Obindji 
replied,  giving,  in  like  manner,  a  statement  of  his  feelings  when  he 
heard  that  Quengueza  was  about  to  bring  a  white  man  to  see  him, 
etc.  Then  they  clapped  hands ;  Obindji  shook  hands  with  me 
(very  awkwardly) ;  and  then  the  ceremony,  which  had  lasted 
three  quarters  of  an  hour,  was  over. 


310 


TRAITS  OF  THE  BAKALAI. 


The  town  of  Obindji  is,  by  my  reckoning,  about  140  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  is  a  recent  settlement,  and  not  very- 
large.  The  family  is  quite  powerful ;  but  when  their  chief  wish- 
ed to  remove  to  the  river  from  his  inland  settlement,  most  of  his 
people  refused.  These  Bakalai  are  reputed  to  be  very  warlike, 
and  various  circumstances  show  that  they  are  so.  They  are  much 
dreaded  by  other  tribes ;  and  I  find  that  these  others  have  left  all 
the  right  side  of  the  river  to  their  fighting  neighbors.  Those 
who  live  on  the  river-bank,  however,  are  in  some  sort  bound  to 
keep  the  peace ;  for  they  have  no  right  near  the  water  but  with 
the  leave  of  Quengueza,  and  this  they  get  only  on  promise  of 
peaceable  behavior. 

Their  houses  also  show  their  prominent  trait.  They  are  not 
built  of  split  bamboos,  like  those  farther  down  the  river,  but  of 
bark,  which  is  peeled  off  large  trees  in  slips  four  to  five  feet  long 
and  a  foot  wide,  and  securely  lashed  on  the  sides.  This  makes 
them  tight.  The  bamboo  walls  always  have  open  strips,  through 
which  an  enemy  can  see  to  shoot  those  inside.  From  this  dan- 
ger the  bark  walls  protect  them.  The  houses  here  are  small, 
however,  not  more  than  twelve  feet  long  by  eight  wide.  They 
are  generally  two  rooms  deep,  and  in  the  back  room  the  family 
sleep,  while  in  front  their  goods  are  kept.  In  war-time  they 
change  their  sleeping- places  in  the  house  every  night,  so  that  the 
enemy  may  be  at  a  loss  where  to  fire  when  attacking  from  the 
outside. 

They  have  a  few  guns  among  them ;  but  a  man  who  owns  a 
gun  and  some  powder  is  rich.  They  were  much  astonished  at 
my  percussion-locks,  and  yet  more  at  my  revolver,  which  was  a 
constant  marvel  to  them.  Eevolvers  of  simple  construction 
would  bring  almost  any  price  among  these  people. 

The  town,  and  another  which  lay  just  above,  separated  from 
Obindji's  by  a  narrow  creek,  were  surrounded  with  extensive 
manioc  plantations.  Here  I  notice  again  that  the  Bakalai  raise 
better  crops  than  the  lower  tribes. 

During  the  week  so  many  people  came  from  up  the  river  that 
food  grew  scarce,  and  Quengueza  sent  down  to  Goumbi  for  sup- 
plies for  our  party.  One  very  old  chief  came  down  from  his 
town,  over  a  hundred  miles  farther  up  the  river.  "When  he  came 
ashore  Quengueza  and  I  went  to  see  him  in  his  house,  waiving 
ceremony  on  account  of  his  age.    When  he  saw  me  he  started 


QUENGUEZA'S  POLITENESS. 


311 


back,  and  was  much,  moved.  He  exclaimed,  "You  are  not  a 
man.  You  are  a  mbuiri"  (spirit).  He  had  come  the  long  jour- 
ney, he  said,  to  see  the  man  who  made  guns  and  powder ;  and  I 
saw  clearly  he  wished  to  ask  me,  as  the  Fan  people  did,  to  sit 
down  and  make  him  some  guns. 

I  had  a  laugh  at  Quengueza,  who  endeavors  to  teach  all  his 
neighbors  the  ideas  he  gets  from  me.  In  common  with  many  of 
his  subjects,  the  old  fellow  was  much  troubled  with  fleas,  and 
when,  as  he  stood  talking  with  me,  a  flea  became  too  trouble- 
some, he  used  to  adroitly  catch  him,  and  gravely  crack  him  on  his 
thumb-nail.  This  disgusted  me  so  that  I  remonstrated,  and  at 
last  succeeded  in  reforming  this  one  of  his  abuses.  But  no  soon- 
er had  he  quit  the  disgusting  practice  himself,  than  he  at  once 
forbade  it  to  all  his  own  subjects,  and  became  a  most  zealous  ad- 
vocate of  decency  among  our  Bakalai  friends. 

"Why  do  you  crack  your  fleas  before  my  white  man,  eh? 
Dirty  fellow  !  Go  away !  You  make  my  white  man  sick !"  he 
used  to  cry  out.  And  to-day,  when  we  had  our  interview  with 
the  up-river  chief,  Quengueza  was  equally  zealous — though  more 
polite — with  him.  But  the  old  man  replied,  "  Thus  have  I  done 
all  my  life — it  is  now  too  late ;"  and  gravely  continued  his  mas- 
sacre. 

As  Obindji  is  to  be  our  head-quarters,  we  are  having  houses 


OBLSDJI  IN  HIS  EASY-CHAIE. 


built.  The  men  have  gone  out  into  the  forest  to  collect  bark, 
and  leaves,  and  posts.    Meantime  the  28th  was  Sunday,  and  I  re- 


312 


WONDER  OF  MY  VISITORS. 


quested  Quengueza  to  make  the  men  rest  on  this  day,  explaining 

to  him  the  nature  of  our  Sabbath. 

The  old  man  was  puzzled  for  a  moment,  then  said, 

"  We  are  much  hurried  now.    Suppose  you  put  off  the  Sunday 

for  three  or  four  weeks ;  then  we  can  have  as  many  Sundays  as 

you  want." 

I  had  a  slight  attack  of  fever,  caused  doubtless  by  the  great 
heat  we  suffered  from  on  the  river.  Some  of  the  men  had  fever, 
too,  and  also  Quengueza's  brother.  I  gave  them  quinine,  which 
cured  them  and  relieved  me  too. 

Up-river  chiefs  continue  to  come  in  with  their  wives,  slaves, 
and  people — all  anxious  to  see  the  man  who  makes  guns,  beads, 
iron  and  brass  kettles,  etc. ;  and  all  rapt  in  astonishment  at  my 
strange  appearance.  They  seem  really  to  find  a  much  greater 
contrast  between  myself  and  them  than  I  can  see.  Most  of  them 
regard  me  as  a  powerful  spirit,  and  all  admire  at  Quenguezas  for- 
tune, who  has  the  care  of  me,  and  whose  friend  I  am.  Many  of 
the  chiefs  are  fine-looking  fellows,  well  armed  with  spears  and 
bows.  They  seem  brave  and  warlike.  Some  of  their  caps  and 
grass-clcth  are  very  finely  made ;  and  I  am  really  anxious,  the 
more  I  see,  to  get  among  the  Ashira,  who  seem  to  be  the  most  in- 
genious of  all  these  people.  All  these  visitors  had  heard  of  my 
trusting  Quengueza,  and  now  came  to  beg  goods  from  him,  for 
which  they  would  help  him  cut  ebony. 

On  the  30th  my  house  was  done,  and  I  set  up  my  bed  and  oth- 
er household  goods.  I  had  with  me  an  American  clock ;  and  this 
excited  the  constant  wonder  and  awe  of  the  people,  who  could  not 
be  persuaded  but  it  was  a  spirit,  and  a  very  powerful  spirit, 
keeping  watch  over  me.  This  day,  also,  a  Bakalai  chief  who  is 
to  hunt  with  me  brought  me  in  a  female  gorilla  which  he  had 
killed  in  the  woods.  This  female  was  not  quite  grown.  It  meas- 
ured three  feet  eleven  inches.  Its  canine  teeth  had  not  attained 
their  full  size.  The  face  was  intensely  black,  as  were  also  the 
hands  and  feet.  Thg  hair  on  the  crown  was  reddish,  but  not  so 
deep  a  color  as  in  some  older  females  I  have.  On  the  body  the 
hair  was  a  blackish-red,  and  no  longer  on  the  arms  than  on  the 
rest  of  the  body.  The  breast  was  covered  only  with  very  light 
down. 

The  heat  is  still  excessive.  It  rains  every  night,  and  that 
somewhat  cools  the  air;  but  in  the  afternoon,  my  thermometer, 


ORDEAL  OF  THE  HOT  RING. 


313 


standing  in  a  well-shaded  place,  ranges  from  106°  to  98°.  There 
is  but  little  breeze,  and  the  air  is  oppressively  hot.  On  the  2d  of 
April  I  saw  another  trial  by  ordeal  performed.  A  little  boy,  son 
to  Aquailai,  the  doctor  who  had  driven  the  witch  from  the  main 
street  of  Goumbi,  reported  that  one  of  Quengueza's  men  had  dam- 
aged a  Bakalai  canoe.  The  owner  required  to  be  paid  for  the  in- 
j  ury.  The  Goumbi  man  denied  the  act,  and  asked  for  trial.  An 
Ashira  doctor  was  called  in,  who  said  that  the  only  way  to  make 
the  truth  appear  was  by  the  trial  of  the  ring  boiled  in  oil.  Here- 
upon the  Bakalai:  and  the  Goumbi  men  gathered  together,  and 
the  trial  was  at  onc^  made. 

The  Ashira  doctor  set  three  little  billets  of  bar-wood  in  the 
ground  with  their  ends  together,  then  piled  some  smaller  pieces 
between,  till  all  were  laid  as  high  as  the  three  pieces.  A  native 
pot  half  full  of  palm-oil  was  set  upon  the  wood,  and  the  oil  was 
set  on  fire.  "When  it  burned  up  brightly  a  brass  ring  from  the 
doctor's  hand  was  cast  in  the  pot ;  the  doctor  stood  by  with  a  lit- 
tle vase  full  of  grass  soaked  in  water,  of  which  he  threw  in  now 
and  then  some  bits.  This  made  I  lie  oil  blaze  up  afresh.  At  last 
all  was  burned  out,  and  now  came  the  trial.  The  accuser,  the 
little  boy,  was  required  to  take  the  ring  out  of  the  pot.  He  hesi- 
tated, but  was  pushed  on  by  his  father.  The  people  cried  out, 
•:  Let  us  see  if  he  lied  or  told  truth." 

Finally  he  put  his  hand  in,  seized  the  red-hot  ring,  but  quick- 
ly dropped  it,  having  severely  burnt  his  fingers.  At  this  there 
was  a  shout,  "  He  lied !  he  lied !"  and  the  Goumbi  man  was  de- 
clared innocent. 

I  ventured  to  suggest  that  he  also  would  burn  his  fingers  if  he 
touched  the  ring ;  but  nobody  seemed  to  consider  this  view.  I 
judge  that  where  an  accuser  has  to  substantiate  a  charge  in  this 
way  information  is  not  easily  to  be  got. 

On  the  6th,  at  last,  we  set  off  for  a  two  or  three  days'  hunt. 
We  went  up  river  for.about  ten  miles,  and  then  struck  inland  to 
a  deserted  Bakalai  village,  where  we  made  our  camp.  When 
that  was  arranged  we  went  out  to  look  for  gorilla-tracks.  It  was 
too  late  to  hunt ;  but  Querlaouen,  my  chief  hunter,  wanted  to  be 
ready  for  the  morrow.  I  saw  nothing;  but  Malaouen,  another 
hunter,  came  in  after  dark,  and  said  he  had  heard  the  cry  of  the 
kooloo,  and  knew  where  to  find  it  in  the  morning. 

Of  course  I  asked  what  this  kooloo  was,  and  received  for  an- 


314 


THE  KOOLOO-KAMBA. 


swer  a  circumstantial  description  of  the  animal,  which  threw  me 
into  the  greatest  excitement ;  for  I  saw  that  this  was  most  certain- 
ly a  new  species  of  ape,  of  which  I  had  not  even  heard  as  yet.  It 
was  called  Jcooloo-kamba  by  the  Goumbi  people,  from  its  noise 
or  call,  "kooloo,"  and  the  Camma  word  kamba,  which  means 
"speak."    The  Bakalai  call  it  simply  Koola. 

I  scarce  slept  all  night  with  fidgeting  over  the  morrow's  pros- 
pects. The  kooloo  was  said  to  be  very  rare  here,  and  there  was  a 
chance  only  that  we  should  find  that  one  whose  call  had  been 
heard.  * 

At  last  the  tedious  night  was  gone.  At  t\e  earliest  streak  of 
dawn  I  had  my  men  up.  We  had  fixed  our  guns  the  night  be- 
fore. All  was  ready,  and  we  set  out  in  two  parties.  My  party 
had  been  walking  through  the  forest  about  an  hour,  when  sudden- 
ly I  stepped  into  a  file  of  bashikouay  ants,  whose  fierce  bites 
nearly  made  me  scream.  The  little  rascals  were  infuriated  at  my 
disturbance  of  their  progress,  and  held  on  to  my  legs  and  to  my 
trowsers  till  I  picked  them  off.  Of  course  I  jumped  nimbly  out 
of  the  way  of  the  great  army  of  which  they  formed  part,  but  I 
did  not  get  off  without  some  severe  bites. 

"We  had  hardly  got  clear  of  the  bashikouays  when  my  ears 
were  saluted  by  the  singular  cry  of  the  ape  I  was  after.  "Koola- 
kooloo,  koola-kooloo,"  it  said  several  times.  Gambo  and  Malaou- 
en  alone  were  with  me.  Gambo  and  I  raised  our  eyes,  and  saw, 
high  up  in  a  tree-branch,  a  large  ape.  "We  both  fired  at  once, 
and  the  next  moment  the  poor  beast  fell  with  a  heavy  crash  to 
the  ground.  I  rushed  up,  anxious  to  see  if,  indeed,  I  had  a  new 
animal.  I  saw  in  a  moment  that  it  was  neither  a  nshiego,  nor  a 
chimpanzee,  nor  a  gorilla.  Again  I  had  a  happy  day — marked 
forever  with  red  ink  in  my  calendar. 

We  at  once  disemboweled  the  animal,  which  was  a  male.  I 
found  in  its  intestines  only  vegetable  matter  and  remains.  The 
skin  and  skeleton  were  taken  into  camp,  where  I  cured  the  former 
with  arsenic  sufficiently  to  take  it  into  Obindji. 

The  animal  was  a  full-grown  male  four  feet  three  inches  high. 
It  was  less  powerfully  built  than  the  male  gorilla,  but  as  power- 
ful as  either  the  chimpanzee  or  nshiego  mbouve.  When  it  was 
brought  into  Obindji,  all  the  people,  and  even  Quengueza,  at  once 
exclaimed,  "  That  is  a  kooloo-kamba."  Then  I  asked  them  about 
the  other  apes  I  already  knew;  but  for  these  they  had  other 


GOUAMBA. 


317 


names,  and  did  not  at  all  confound  the  species.  For  all  these 
reasons  I  was  assured  that  my  prize  was  indeed  a  new  animal, 
and  not  a  variety  of  any  of  those  before  known. 

The  kooloo-kamba  has  for  distinctive  marks  a  very  round  head  : 
whiskers  running  quite  round  the  face  and  below  the  chin ;  the 
face  is  round ;  the  cheek-bones  prominent ;  the  cheeks  sunken : 
the  jaws  not  very  prominent — less  so  than  in  any  of  the  apes. 
The  hair  is  black ;  long  on  the  arm,  which  was,  however,  partly 
bare. 

The  chimpanzee  is  not  found  in  the  woods  where  I  shot  this 
kooloo-kamba.  The  gorilla  is  evidently  much  the  most  power- 
ful animal  of  the  two.  The  kooloo  is,  however,  the  ape,  of  all 
the  great  apes  now  known,  which  most  nearly  approaches  man  in 
the  structure  of  its  head.  The  capacity  of  the  cranium  is  some- 
what greater,  in  proportion  to  the  animal's  size,  than  in  either 
the  gorilla  or  the  nshiego  mbouve.  Of  its  habits  these  people 
could  tell  me  nothing,  except  that  farther  interior  it  was  found 
more  frequently,  and  that  it  was,  like  the  gorilla,  very  shy  and 
hard  of  approach. 

Meat  was  now  becoming  scarce,  and  I  was  glad  to  go  back  to 
town ;  and  happier  yet  when  Querlaouen  overhauled  us  with  a  wild 
pig  as  a  prize,  of  which  the  good  fellow  gave  me  half.  The  ne- 
groes were  feasting  on  the  kooloo  meat,  which  I  could  not  touch. 
So  the  pig  was  welcome  to  me,  as  indeed  it  was  to  Quengueza, 
whom  we  found  almost  crying  with  an  affection- which  is  common 
in  Africa,  and  is  called  gouamba — but  for  which  we,  happily,  have 
no  name.  Gouamba  is  the  inordinate  longing  and  craving  of  ex- 
hausted nature  for  meat.  The  vegetable  diet  here  is  not  of  a 
satisfying  nature  at  best.  Just  now  all  provisions  were  scarce  in 
Obindji,  and  even  Quengueza  had  not  tasted  meat  for  four  days. 
He  was  exhausted,  nervous,  and,  though  a  stout  old  fellow,  Teally 
whimpering.  This  was  gouamba,  of  which  I  have  suffered  often 
enough  in  these  wilds  to  vouch  that  it  is  a  real  and  frightful  tor- 
ture. 

The  rainy  season  is  now  at  its  height  The  river  is  swollen ;  the 
water  rushes  down  in  a  yellow  muddy  stream,  and  on  a  level  with 
the  banks.  My  house  is  but  about  four  feet  above  the  water-level, 
and  it  stands  on  high  ground.  Below,  at  this  time,  all  is  over- 
flowed ;  and  on  the  Anengue  Lake  the  crocodiles  have  probably 
retired  to  the  reeds. 


-318 


NEGRO  DOCTORS  OR  PROPHETS. 


Accusations  of  sorcery  are  really  the  cause  of  very  many 
troubles  and  miseries  among  these  people.  On  the  11th  Obind- 
ji's  younger  brother  was  brought  up  on  a  charge  of  having 
witched  to  death  his  elder  brother,  Obindji's  predecessor.  This 
man  had  been  dead  a  year,  and  his  poor  brother  had  already 
drunk  mboundou  three  times  to  establish  his  innocence.  Still  the 
charge  was  pushed.  He  gave  away  some  slaves  for  peace'  sake. 
But  now  his  brother-in-law  demanded  another  trial.  I  interfered, 
and  procured  his  release,  at  least  while  I  am  here. ' 

On  the  12th  Quengueza  went  down  to  Goumbi  to  attend  to  an- 
other case  of  mboundou-drinking.  A  young  girl  is  accused  of 
having  bewitched  some  fellow  who  died,  and  has  now  to  undergo 
the  ordeal.  God  help  her!  I  made  the  king  promise  me  she 
should  not  be  killed.    More  I  could  not  do. 

I  meantime  went  off  to  a  neighboring  town,  where  a  friend  of 
mine  had  killed  three  elephants.  These  animals  are  not  very 
plentiful  hereabouts,  but  they  are  not  much  hunted  either.  The 
natives  are  too  idle  to  take  the  trouble,  and  would  rather  suffer 
ijouamba  often  than  go  hunt.  Besides  this,  guns  have  become  so 
much  the  use  here  that  they  no  longer  entrap  or  spear  the  huge 
beast,  but  trust  to  their  hunters  for  supplies.  Those  only  have  ' 
guns.  It  is  strange  how  even  here,  where  no  white  man  has  ever 
been,  guns  and  powder,  brass  and  iron  pots,  beads,  etc.,  are  not  at 
all  uncommon.  Of  course  all  such  things  have  an  extravagant 
value,  which  is  an' advantage  to  the  trader,  or  would  be,  could  he 
come  up  here. 

I  came  into  the  town  just  when  the  ceremonial  dance  was  about 
to  be  performed  which  precedes  the  division  of  the  meat.  This 
is  a  thank-offering  to  two  spirits,  Mondo  and  Ohmbo,  who  seem  to 
have  an  influence  on  the  hunt.  An  Ashira  doctor  was  leading 
in  the  ceremonies.  I  find  here,  as  I  have  heard  it  said  also  in 
more  civilized  countries,  that  the  jirophet  gains  in  repute  the  far- 
ther he  travels  from  home.  In  Goumbi  a  Bakalai  doctor  was 
held  in  high  esteem.  In  Biagano  a  Goumbi  doctor  was  chief  of 
all  the  prophets.  Here,  among  the  Bakalai,  only  an  Ashira  doc- 
tor was  thought  worthy.    So  it  goes. 

They  had  three  pieces,  cut  from  the  hind-quarters  of  the  ele- 
phants, boiling  in  large  pots.  Around  these  they  danced,  while 
the  Ashira  doctor  chanted  praises  and  petitions  to  the  spirits.  A 
piece  was  cut  off  and  sent  into  the  woods  to  appease  the  hunger 


A  DEVIL-BIRD. 


319 


of  these  deities  (or  more  likely  of  their  representatives,  the  leop- 
ards), and  then  the  rest  was  eaten.  Next  came  the  division  of  the 
great  heaps  of  uncooked  meat.  The  town,  the  town's  friends,  the 
hunters,  the  hunters'  friends,  and  their  friends,  all  came  and  got 
shares.  I  received  fifty  pounds  for  myself;  and  though  the  meat 
is  unpleasant  to  the  taste,  tough  to  chew,  and  in  every  way  un- 
palatable, as  I  knew  to  my  cost  by  former  sad  experience,  I  was 
glad  to  have  it;  for  meat  was  scarce,  and  I  had  the  appetite  of  a 
hunter. 

The  killing  of  an  elephant  is  an  event  among  the  Bakalai,  not 
only  for  the  meat,  but  because  the  ivory  is  sent  down  to  the  coast, 
and  procures  for  them  the  cloth,  powder,  guns,  trinkets — whatev- 
er they  get  of  civilized  people ;  for  they  do  not  yet  cut  much  eb- 
ony or  bar-wood. 

Hunting  back  of  the  village,  on  the  15th,  I  shot  a  curious  bird, 
the  Alethe  castanea — a  new  species.  It  is  said  by  the  natives  to 
have  a  devil  in  it — for  what  reason  I  could  not  discover ;  proba- 
bly for  none.  But  its  habit  makes  it  singular.  They  fly  in  a 
small  flock,  and  follow  industriously  the  bashikouay  ants  in  their 
marches  about  the  country.  The  bird  is  insectivorous ;  and  when 
the  bashikouay  army  routes  before  it  the  frightened  grasshoppers 
and  beetles,  the  bird,  like  a  regular  camp-follower,  pounces  on  the 
prey  and  carries  it  off.    I  think  it  does  not  eat  the  bashikouay. 

My  old  enemies  the  snakes  are  quite  abundant  in  these  woods. 
As  we  push  through  the  bush  we  often  see  some  great  anaconda 
hanging  from  a  projecting  bough,  waiting  its  prey.  The  other 
day  I  shot  a  little  bird  which,  in  its  fall,  lodged  among  some 
vines.  I  was  anxious  to  get  it,  and  began  to  climb  up  after  it. 
Just  as  I  was  reaching  out  for  my  bird,  a  snake,  belonging  to  one 
of  the  most  venomous  kinds  found  in  this  part  of  Africa,  stuck 
out  his  head  at  me  from  the  thick  vine  foliage.  I  was  very  much 
startled,  and  dropped  down  to  the  ground  without  loss  of  time. 
Fortunately  I  had  only  to  drop  a  few  feet.  It  was  one  of  the 
narrowest  escapes  I  had  in  Africa — for  there  is  no  cure  for  this 
serpent's  bite,  and  I  could  literally  feel  its  breath  against  my  face 
before  I  saw  it. 

Singularly  few  accidents  happen  from  snake-bites  among  the 
natives.  They  wander  every  where  barefooted,  and  seem  to  have 
no  dread  till  they  see  a  snake,  when  they  scamper  off  fast  enough 
if  it  is  very  venomous.    The  anaconda  they  kill  because  they 


320 


A  DAY'S  WORK. 


like  its  meat,  which,  they  say,  makes  a  delicious  soup.  I  have- 
never  tasted  it. 

When,  as  here,  I  am  hunting  regularly,  I  get  up  at  five  in  the 
morning.  Monguilomba  then  makes  me  a  strong  cup  of  coffee, 
which  is  served  by  Makondai.  This  drunk,  I  start  for  the  bush 
and  hunt  until  ten,  which  is  my  breakfast-hour.  After  breakfast 
I  stuff  the  birds  shot  in  the  morning,  and  rest  till  three.  Then 
out  again  into  the  bush  till  six,  which  is  sunset  and  dark  here, 
when  I  get  back  and  find  my  dinner  ready,  with  Makondai  to 
wait  on  me.  After  dinner  bird-stuffing  goes  on  again,  till  all  the 
prizes  of  the  day  are  secure.  That  done,  I  go  among  the  people 
and  hear  them  talk  until  it  is  time  to  go  to  sleep. 

This  is  the  average  day.  Of  course,  when  we  go  out  on  great 
hunts,  all  orderly  arrangements  are  broken  up ;  and  I  have  often 
to  sit  up  half  or  all  the  night  to  prepare  my  prizes,  which  will  not 
keep  till  next  day  in  this  hot  climate. 


VENOMOUS  FLIES. 


321 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Venomous  Flies. — Gorilla. — Cutting  Ebony. — The  Ebony-tree. — Anguilai*s  Town. 
—  Superstitions.  —  Severe  Sickness.  —  Kindness  of  the  native  Women  to  me. 
— Child  murdered  for  Sorcery. — New  Cure  for  Sterility. — Ivory-eaters. — Manioc. 
— Capture  a  young  Nshiego  Mbouve. — Its  Grief  for  its  Mother. — Biography  of 
Nshiego  Tommy. — Easily  tamed.  —  His  Tricks. — Habits. — Love  for  Wine  and 
Scotch  Ale. — His  Death. — Curious  Color. — Famine. — Njani  Oil. — Gorilla. — Ev- 
idence of  their  vast  Strength. — Guaniony. — Return  to  Obindji's. — Letters  and 
Papers  from  home. — Astonishment  of  the  Negroes  at  my  Reading. — The  Ofoubou 
River. — Starvation. — Njalie-Coody. — The  Njambai  Festival. — Woman's  Right* 
among  the  Bakalai. — A  midnight  Festival. — A  Mystery. — An  Attempt  at  Black- 
mail.— Nature  of  the  Njambai,  or  Guardian  Spirit. — Hunter  killed  by  Gorilla. — 
Native  Superstitions. — The  Dry  Season. — Gouamba. — The  Eloway  Fly. — Huge 
Serpents. — Enormous  Gorilla  killed. — Curious  Superstition  about  the  Gorilla  and 
a  pregnant  Woman. — Animals  peculiar  to  this  Region. — Generosity  of  the  Blacks. 
— The  Superstition  of  Roondah. — Return. 

On  Tuesday,  the  20th.  of  April,  we  set  out  for  one  of  our 
great  hunts,  going  up  the  river  a  short  distance  and  then  strik- 
ing into  the  forests.  We  found  many  open  spots  in  these  woods, 
where  the  soil  was  sandy,  and  the  grass  was  not  very  luxuri- 
ant, growing  not  more  than  two  feet  high.  The  sun  is  very  op- 
pressive in  these  clear  spots. 

We  were  troubled,  too,  on  the  prairie  by  two  very  savage  flies, 
called  by  the  negroes  the  boco  and  the  nchouna.  These  insects 
attacked  us  with  a  terrible  persistency  which  left  us  no  peace. 
They  were  very  quiet  blood-suckers,  and  I  never  knew  of  their 
attacks  till  I  felt  the  itch  which  follows  the  bite  when  the  fly  has 
left  it.    This  is  again  followed  by  a  little  painful  swelling. 

The  next  day  we  were  out  after  gorillas,  which  we  knew  were 
to  be  found  hereabouts  by  the  presence  of  a  pulpy  pear-shaped 
fruit,  the  tomb,  of  which  this  animal  is  very  fond.  I  also  am  very 
fond  of  the  subdued  and  grateful  acid  of  this  fruit,  which  the  ne- 
groes eat  as  well  as  the  gorilla.  It  is  curious  that  that  which 
grows  in  the  sandy  soil  of  the  prairie  is  not  fit  to  eat. 

We  found  every  where  gorilla-marks,  and  so  recent  that  we 
began  to  think  the  animals  must  be  avoiding  us.  This  was  the 
case,  I  think,  though  I  am  not  sure.  At  any  rate  we  beat  the 
bush  for  two  hours  before,  at  last,  we  found  the  game.  Suddenly 

X 


322 


MEETING  A  GORILLA. 


an  immense  gorilla  advanced  out  of  the  wood  straight  toward  us. 
and  gave  vent  as  he  came  up  to  a  terrible  howl  of  rage — as  much 
as  to  say,  "  I  am  tired  of  being  pursued,  and  will  face  you." 

It  was  a  lone  male — the  kind  who  are  always  most  ferocious ; 
and  this  fellow  made  the  woods  ring  with  his  roar,  which  is  real- 
ly an  awful  sound,  resembling  very  much  the  rolling  and  mut- 
tering of  distant  thunder. 

He  was  about  twenty  yards  off  when  we  first  saw  him.  "We  at 
once  gathered  together,  and  I  was  about  to  take  aim  and  bring 
him  down  where  he  stood,  when  Malaouen  stopped  me,  saying,  in 
a  whisper,  "  Not  time  yet." 

We  stood  therefore  in  silence,  guns  in  hand.  The  gorilla  look- 
ed at  us  for  a  minute  or  so  out  of  his  evil,  gray  eyes,  then  beat 
his  breast  with  his  gigantic  arms,  gave  another  howl  of  defiance, 
and  advanced  upon  us. 

Again  he  stopped,  now  not  more  than  fifteen  yards  away. 
Still  Malaouen  said,  "  Not  yet." 

Then  again  an  advance  upon  us.  Now  he  was  not  twelve  yard? 
off.  I  could  see  plainly  the  ferocious  face  of  the  monstrous  ape. 
It  was  working  with  rage ;  his  huge  teeth  were  ground  against 
each  other  so  that  we  could  hear  the  sound ;  the  skin  of  the  fore- 
head was  moved  rapidly  back  and  forth,  and  gave  a  truly  devil- 
ish expression  to  the  hideous  face ;  once  more  he  gave  out  a  roar 
which  seemed  to  shake  the  woods  like  thunder,  and,  looking  us 
in  the  eyes  and  beating  his  breast,  advanced  again.  This  time 
he  came  within  eight  yards  of  us  before  he  stopped.  My  breath 
was  coming  short  with  excitement  as  I  watched  the  huge  beast. 
Malaouen  said  only  "  Steady,"  as  he  came  up. 

"When  he  stopped,  Malaouen  said,  "Now."  And  before  he 
could  utter  the  roar  for  which  he  was  opening  his  mouth,  three 
musket  balls  were  in  his  body.  He  fell  dead  almost  without  a 
struggle. 

"  Don't  fire  too  soon.  If  you  do  not  kill  him  he  will  kill  you,'' 
said  Malaouen  to  me — a  piece  of  advice  which  I  found  afterward 
was  too  literally  true. 

It  was  a  huge  old  beast  indeed.  Its  height  was  5  feet  6  inch- 
es. Its  arms  had  a  spread  of  7  feet  2  inches.  Its  huge  brawny 
chest  measured  50  inches  around.  The  big  toe  or  thumb  of  its 
foot  measured  5f  inches  in  circumference.  Its  arm  seemed  only 
immense  bunches  of  muscle,  and  its  legs  and  claw-like  feet  were 


THE  EBONY-TREE. 


323 


so  well  fitted  for  grabbing  and  holding,  that  I  could  see  how  easy 
it  was  for  the  negroes  to  believe  that  this  animal  conceals  itself  in 
trees,  and  pulls  up  with  its  foot  any  living  thing,  leopard,  ox,  or 
man,  that  passes  beneath.  There  is  no  doubt  the  gorilla  can  do 
this,  but  that  he  does  I  do  not  believe.  They  are  ferocious,  mis- 
chievous, but  not  carnivorous. 

The  face  of  this  gorilla  was  intensely  black.  The  vast  chest, 
which  proved  his  great  power,  was  bare,  and  covered  with  a 
parchment-like  skin.  Its  body  was  covered  with  gray  hair. 
Though  there  are  sufficient  points  of  diversity  between  this  ani- 
mal and  man,  I  never  kill  one  without  having  a  sickening  reali- 
zation of  the  horrid  human  likeness  of  the  beast.  This  was  par- 
ticularly the  case  to-day,  when  the  animal  approached  us  in  its 
fierce  way,  walking  on  its  hind  legs,  and  facing  us  as  few  animals 
dare  face  man. 

On  the  27th  April  Quengueza  and  I,  with  about  twenty  slave? 
and  some  hunters,  started  up  river  for  the  ebony  country,  where 
the  king  wished  to  cut  wood,  while  I  should  hunt.  All  the  for- 
ests up  here  are  full  of  precious  woods.  Ebony  is  found  in  great- 
est plenty  at  the  top  of  the  hills  which  line,  at  some  distance,  the 
river-course.  Bar- wood  is  found  every  where,  and  in  great  abund- 
ance. The  natives  have  not  yet  cut  much  of  it,  and  there  is 
enough  here  for  a  brisk  trade  for  years.  The  India-rubber- vine 
is  found  on  all  hands ;  and  when  a  regular  trade  is  once  establish- 
ed, this  will  be  one  of  the  great  staples  of  the  river.  There  are 
also  many  other  varieties  of  hard  woods,  some  pink,  some  chest- 
nut, some  yellow  in  color,  and  all  susceptible  of  a  high  polish, 
many  of  which  would  no  doubt  have  a  commercial  value  were 
this  region  opened  to  white  trade. 

As  we  were  to  stay  a  month,  the  king  took  some  of  his  wive? 
with  him.  We  pulled  up  the  river  against  the  strong  current  as 
before  ;  and  I  learned  that  the  country  where  we  killed  the  go- 
rilla is  called  Kanga-Niare. 

The  ebony -tree  is  not  found  on  low  ground,  or  near  the  river. 
It  is  met  with  all  along  the  ridges  and  hills  which  run  here  north 
and  south.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  graceful  trees  of  the 
African  forest.  Its  leaves  are  long,  sharp-pointed,  dark-green, 
and  hang  in  clusters,  producing  a  grateful  shade.  Its  bark  i? 
smooth,  and  of  a  dark  green.  The  trunk  rises  straight  and  clean 
to  a  considerable  height — often  fifty  or  sixty  feet ;  then  large 


324 


THE  EBONY  OF  COMMERCE. 


heavy  branches  are  sent  out.  I  have  seen  one  of  these  trees 
which  had  a  diameter  of  five  feet  at  the  base.  The  mature  ebo- 
ny-tree is  always  found  hollow,  and  even  its  branches  are  hollow. 
Next  the  bark  is  a  white  "sap-wood,"  which  is  not  valuable. 
This,  in  an  average  tree,  is  three  or  four  inches  thick,  and  next 
to  this  lies  the  ebony  of  commerce.  The  young  trees  are  white 
or  sappy  to  the  centre ;  and  even  when  they  attain  a  diameter 
of  nearly  two  feet  the  black  part  is  streaked  with  white.  Trees 
less  than  three  feet  in  diameter  are  not  cut  down. 


EBONY  LEAVES:  MALE  AND  FEMALE  (HALF  THE  NATTBAL  SIZE). 


The  ebony-tree  is  found  intermixed  with  others  in  the  forest. 
Generally  three  or  four  trees  stand  together,  and  none  others 
within  a  little  distance.  Thus  the  cutters  move  through  the 
woods  constantly  seeking  trees. 

We  were  bound  to  the  town  of  a  chief  named  Anguilai, 
whom  I  had  met  at  Obindji's  town.  The  place  was  called  X'ca- 
lai-Boumba,  and  was  a  considerable  town,  though  very  lately 
built.  We  were  nearly  all  day  on  our  journey.  On  the  way  we 
passed  several  villages,  the  largest  of  which,  Npopo,  I  afterward 
visited.  The  river-banks  all  the  way  up  are  densely  wooded,  but 
very  sparsely  inhabited  by  the  animal  creation.  We  saw  but  one 
monkey  and  a  few  birds  the  whole  day. 

Two  hours  before  reaching  this  point  we  had  been  drenched 
by  a  severe  rain-storm.  Great,  therefore,  was  our  surprise,  when, 
having  climbed  over  the  trees  which  had  been  cut  down  in  front 
of  the  town,  and  which  lay  there  a  very  formidable  barrier  to  any 
one's  approach,  we  found  the  street  dry ;  and  the  people  were  as 
much  surprised  at  seeing  us  wet.  We  had  only  happened  under 
a  rain-cloud. 


AN  ATTACK  OF  FEVER. 


325 


Anguilai's  town  is  the  hottest  place  I  saw  in  Africa.  Most  of 
the  negroes  have  wit  enough  to  build  on  top  of  some  hill,  where 
they  get  a  breeze.  But  this  town  was  set  in  a  hollow,  and  the 
houses  were  so  small  and  close  as  to  be  quite  unendurable  to  me. 
All  these  Eembo  Bakalai  are  but  lately  from  the  interior.  They 
have  been  induced  to  move  to  the  river  by  Quengueza,  who 
makes  them  useful  to  him,  and  they  are  not  yet  at  home  there. 
N'calai-Boumba  was  not  yet  a  year  old.  The  people  were  still 
awkward  canoe-men ;  and  in  other  matters  were  evidently  not  at 
home  in  the  country. 

On  the  29th  I  went  down  to  a  little  village  called  Npopo,  and 
found  the  people  all  gone  into  the  bush.  Every  thing  was 
open  and  exposed  to  thieves;  chickens  and  goats  were  walking 
about,  and  I  wondered  to  see  such  carelessness  in  the  village. 
But  in  the  centre,  looking  down  on  every  thing,  stood  the  mbuiti. 
or  god  of  Npopo,  a  copper-eyed  divinity,  who,  I  was  informed, 
safely  guarded  every  thing.  It  seemed  absurd;  but  I  was  as- 
sured that  no  one  dared  steal,  and  no  one  did  steal,  with  the  eyes 
of  this  mbuiti  upon  him. 

This  uncommonly  useful  divinity  was  a  rudely-shaped  piece  of 
ebony  about  two  feet  high,  with  a  man's  face,  the  nose  and  eyes 
of  copper,  and  the  body  covered  with  grass. 

On  the  last  of  April  I  was  brought  down  to  my  bed  with  fe- 
ver. In  three  days  I  took  150  grains  of  quinine  and  two  heavy 
doses  of  calomel.  This  was  the  severest  attack  I  had  yet  had  in 
Africa.  I  suffered  very  much  from  the  heat  in  the  little  houses, 
and  was  glad  when  Quengueza  had  his  shades  built  on  the  ebony- 
ground  and  we  moved  thither. 

While  I  lay  sick  the  people  came  and  entreated  me  not  to  hunt 
so  much  and  so  constantly.  They  said,  "Look  at  us;  we  hunt 
one  day  and  rest  two.  When  we  hunt  three  days  we  rest  a  week 
after  it.  But  you  go  out  every  day !"  I  think  they  are  right, 
and  shall  follow  their  rule. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  kindness  of  the  women  to  me  while  I 
was  sick.  Poor  souls !  they  are  sadly  abused  by  their  taskmas- 
ters ;  are  the  merest  slaves,  have  to  do  all  the  drudgery,  and  take 
blows  and  ill  usage  besides;  and  yet  at  the  sight  of  suffering 
their  hearts  soften  just  as  in  our  own  more  civilized  lands ;  and 
here,  as  there,  no  sooner  did  sickness  come  than  these  kind  souls 
came  to  nurse  and  take  care  of  me.    They  tried  to  cook  nice 


326 


MURDER  OF  A  BOY. 


food  for  me ;  they  sat  by  me  to  fan  me ;  they  brought  more  mats 
for  my  bed ;  brought  me  water ;  got  me  refreshing  fruits  from  the 
woods ;  and  at  night,  when  I  waked  up  from  a  feverish  dream,  I 
used  to  hear  their  voices  as  they  sat  around  in  the  darkness,  and 
pitied  me  and  devised  ways  for  my  cure.  They  thought  some 
aniamba  had  entered  my  body,  and  could  not  be  persuaded  that 
I  was  not  bewitched. 

Poor  Anguilai  was  sadly  alarmed  at  my  illness.  He  accused 
his  people  of  wickedly  bewitching  me ;  and  one  still  night  walk- 
ed up  and  down  the  village  threatening,  in  a  loud  voicet  to  kill 
the  sorcerers  if  he  could  only  find  them. 

On  the  5th  of  May  I  was  able  to  walk  again  a  little,  and  went 
to  see  an  ebony -tree  which  had  been  cut  down  not  far  from  the 
town.  It  was  a  magnificent  tree,  four  feet  and  over  in  diameter 
at  the  base,  and  furnished  eleven  splendid  billets,  weighing  1500 
pounds.  I  took  particular  pains  with  these,  and  they  went  to 
America  afterward  in  fine  condition,  and  are  of  a  size  that  large 
wide  boards  could  be  sawn  from  them. 

To  cut  down  such  a  tree  is  no  small  undertaking  for  these  ne- 
groes with  their  slight,  rude  axes.  They  cut  only  on  one  side. 
Several  get  to  work  together,  and  many  hours  pass  of  steady  la- 
bor ere  the  tree  at  last  falls.  To  get  my  logs  down  to  the  river 
I  had  to  call  in  the  help  of  the  Bakalai,  and  we  cut  a  road  down 
to  the  shore,  along  which  the  logs  were  drawn.  Some  weighed 
nearly  three  hundred  pounds,  and  were  by  far  the  largest  ever 
taken  from  here. 

On  the  6th  one  of  those  barbarous  scenes  occurred  in  the  vil- 
lage which  show  how  even  these  kind-hearted  negroes  are 
wrought  to  horrid  cruelties  by  their  devilish  superstitions.  A 
little  boy  of  ten  years  had  been  accused  of  sorcery.  On  being 
examined,  he  confessed  that  he  had  "  made  a  witch."  Hereupon 
the  whole  town  seemed  to  be  seized  of  the  devil.  They  took 
spears  and  knives,  and  actually  cut  the  poor  little  fellow  to 
pieces.  I  had  been  walking  out,  and  returned  just  as  the 
dreadful  scene  was  over.  I  doubt  if  I  could  have  saved  his 
life  even  had  I  been  on  the  spot.  As  it  was,  I  could  not  even 
make  the  wretched  men  feel  shame  at  their  bloody  act.  They 
were  still  frantic  with  rage,  and  were  not  quiet  for  some  hours 
after. 

The  next  day  (7th)  I  witnessed  another  curious  scene  of  super- 


NEW  CURE  FOR  STERILITY. 


327 


stition.  One  of  the  king's  wives  stood  up  in  the  open  street  and 
had  herself  cut  on  the  back  of  her  hands  with  knives.  She  bled 
very  freely,  and  seemed  to  be  very  glad  in  her  heart  at  the  pain 
inflicted  on  her.  I  asked  what  was  the  reason  for  such  conduct ; 
and  she  explained,  with  a  smiling  face,  that  she  was  weakly  and 
barren,  and  that  now  she  would  be  strong  and  have  children.  It 
seems  to  be  their  method  of  letting  blood. 

At  last,  on  the  8th,  we  started  for  the  ebony- woods.  Our  new 
location  was  about  nine  miles  from  the  river,  on  the  side  of  a  long 
hill,  and  close  by  where  a  cool  sparkling  rivulet  leaped  from  rock 
to  rock  down  into  the  plain,  making  pleasantest  music  for  me  as 
I  lay,  weak  and  sick,  in  camp.  Five  huge  ebony-trees  lifted  their 
crowned  heads  together  in  a  little  knot  just  above  us.  .  All  around 
were  pleasant  and  shady  woods.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  camp, 
but  proved  to  have  one  drawback:  we  nearly  starved  to  death. 
I  sent  out  the  hunters  immediately  on  our  arrival.  They  were 
gone  two  days,  but  brought  back  nothing.  Game  is  scarce  here, 
and  without  an  ashinga  or  net,  such  as  the  Gaboon  Bakalai  have, 
not  much  is  to  be  got.  On  the  11th  we  began  to  suffer  from 
gouamba,  and  got  no  meat.  So  I  went  out  myself  and  shot  sev- 
eral birds — two  new :  the  Camaroptera  caniceps  and  the  Geocichla 
compsonota — and  a  very  remarkable  animal  of  the  squirrel  kind, 
called  by  the  natives  the  mhoco,  and  which  eats  ivory.  I  have 
called  it  the  "ivory-eater,"  as  the  fact  that  it  hunts  in  the  woods 
the  carcasses  of  elephants  and  gnaws  the  ivory,  often  destroying 
the  finest  tusks,  can  not  be  disputed.  All  the  negroes  of  different 
tribes  tell  this  story  about  it.  It  has  very  sharp  and  large  cut- 
ters, well  adapted  to  its  business. 

The  birds  and  the  ivory-eater  I  ate,  preserving  their  skins,  and 
this  relieved  my  gouamba  for  the  time.  On  the  12th  our  hunt- 
ers returned.  They  had  killed  a  deer,  but,  being  famished  them- 
selves, had  eaten  it.  Their  hands  were  empty,  and  I  was  nearly 
in  despair,  for  we  could  not  buy  either  fowl  or  goat ;  and  though 
the  sister  of  Anguilai  sent  me  out  daily  plantains  and  yams,  I 
needed  meat.  All  the  rest,  poor  fellows,  were  suffering  with  me ; 
and  they  had  to  live  on  manioc,  which  is  worse  than  gouamba 
for  me. 

Manioc  is  the  bread  of  these  people,  and  a  very  poor  kind  of 
bread  it  is.  It  is  a  root,  and  is  poisonous  when  first  dug  from 
the  ground.    It  must,  therefore,  be  laid  to  soak  in  water  for  from 


328 


GOUAMBA. 


muoco,  oe  ivory -eateb  (Sciurus  Eborivorus). 

three  to  five  days,  according  to  the  season.  By  this  time  it  is 
rotted,  or  in  a  fermented  condition,  and  quite  soft,  and  now  it  is 
ready  for  cooking ;  or,  if  it  is  for  a  journey,  for  drying  and  smok- 
ing. Thus  prepared  it  will  keep  for  six  weeks  or  two  months. 
But  I  never  could  get  to  like  the  tasteless  sour  stuff,  and  never  ate 
it  when  any  tMng  else  was  to  be  got. 

At  last  I  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  determined  to  make  up 
a  regular  hunting-party,  and  stay  out  till  we  got  something  to 
eat.  Malaouen  told  me  that  if  we  went  off  about  twenty  miles 
we  should  come  to  a  better  game  country ;  and  so  we  started  in 
the  direction  he  pointed  out,  where,  he  thought,  we  should  also 
find  the  gorilla,  or  perhaps  the  nshiego  mbouve. 

The  men  were  covered  with  greegrees  and  fetiches,  and  had 
cut  their  hands  for  luck.  Anguilai  told  me  that  his  ogana  (idol) 
had  told  him  that  to-morrow  the  heart  of  otanga  (the  white  man) 
would  be  glad,  for  we  would  kill  game. 

For  some  hours  after  we  started  we  saw  nothing  but  old  tracks 
of  different  wild  beasts,  and  I  began  to  think  that  Anguilai's 


CAPTURE  OF  A  YOUNG  NSHIEGO  MBOUVE.  329 

ogana  had  been  too  sanguine.  Finally,  toward  twelve  o'clock, 
when  we  were  crossing  a  kind  of  high  table-land,  we  heard  the 
cry  of  a  young  animal,  which  we  all  recognized  to  be  a  nshiego 
mbouve.  Then  all  my  troubles  at  once  went  away  out  of  mind, 
and  I  no  longer  felt  either  sick  or  hungry. 

We  crawled  through  the  bush  as  silenlty  as  possible,  still  hear- 
ing the  baby -like  cry.  At  last,  coming  out  into  a  little  cleared 
space,  we  saw  something  running  along  the  ground  toward  where 
we  stood  concealed.  When  it  came  nearer  we  saw  it  was  a  fe- 
male nshiego  running  on  all-fours,  with  a  young  one  clinging  to 
her  breasts.  She  was  eagerly  eating  some  berries,  and  with  one 
arm  supported  her  little  one. 

Querlaouen,  who  had  the  fairest  chance,  fired,  and  brought  her 
down.  She  dropped  without  a  struggle.  The  poor  little  one 
cried  Hew !  hew !  hew !  and  clung  to  the  dead  body,  sucking  the 
breasts,  burying  its  head  there  in  its  alarm  at  the  report  of  the 
gun. 

We  hurried  up  in  great  glee  to  secure  our  capture.  I  can  not 
tell  my  surprise  when  I  saw  that  the  nshiego  baby's  face  was 
pure  white — very  white  indeed — pallid,  but  as  white  as  a  white 
child's. 

I  looked  at  the  mother,  but  found  her  black  as  soot  in  the 
face.  The  little  one  was  about  a  foot  in  height.  One  of  the  men 
threw  a  cloth  over  its  head  and  secured  it  till  we  could  make  it 
fast  with  a  rope ;  for,  though  it  was  quite  young,  it  could  walk. 
The  old  one  was  of  the  bald-headed  kind,  of  which  I  had  secured 
the  first  known  specimen  some  months  before. 

I  immediately  ordered  a  return  to  the  camp,  which  we  reached 
toward  evening.  The  little  nshiego  had  been  all  this  time  sepa- 
rated from  its  dead  mother,  and  now,  when  it  was  put  near  her 
body,  a  most  touching  scene  ensued.  The  little  fellow  ran  in- 
stantly to  her,  but,  touching  her  on  the  face  and  breast,  saw  evi- 
dently that  some  great  change  had  happened.  For  a  few  minutes 
he  caressed  her,  as  though  trying  to  coax  her  back  to  life.  Then 
he  seemed  to  lose  all  hope.  His  little  eyes  became  very  sad,  and 
he  broke  out  in  a  long,  plaintive  wail,  "  Ooee !  ooee !  ooee  I" 
which  made  my  heart  ache  for  him.  He  looked  quite  forlorn, 
and  as  though  he  really  felt  his  forsaken  lot.  The  whole  camp 
was  touched  at  his  sorrows,  and  the  women  were  especially 
moved. 


330 


JOKES  OF  THE  NEGROES. 


All  this  time  I  stood  wonderingly  staring  at  the  white  face  of 
the  creature.  It  was  really  marvelous,  and  quite  incomprehensi- 
ble ;  and  a  more  strange  and  weird-looking  animal  I  never  saw. 

While  I  stood  there,  up  came  two  of  my  hunters  and  began  to 
laugh  at  me.  "  Look,  Chelly,"  said  they,  calling  me  by  the  name 
I  was  known  by  among  them,  "  look  at  your  friend.  Every  time 
we  kill  gorilla,  you  tell  us  look  at  your  black  friend.  Now,  you 
see,  look  at  your  white  friend."  Then  came  a  roar  at  what  the}- 
thought  a  tremendous  joke. 

"Look!  he  got  straight  hair,  all  same  as  you.  See  white  face 
of  your  cousin  from  the  bush !  He  is  nearer  to  you  than  gorilla 
is  to  us." 

And  another  roar. 

"  Gorilla  no  got  woolly  hair  like  we.    This  one  straight  hair. 

like  you." 

"  Yes,"  said  I ;  "  but  when  he  gets  old  his  face  is  black ;  and  do 
not  you  see  his  nose  how  flat  it  is,  like  yours." 

Whereat  there  was  a  louder  laugh  than  before.  For,  so  long 
as  he  can  laugh,  the  negro  cares  little  against  whom  the  joke 
goes. 

I  may  as  well  add  here  some  particulars  of  the  little  fellow  who 
excited  all  this  surprise  and  merriment.  He  lived  five  months, 
and  became  as  tame  and  docile  as  a  cat.  I  called  him  Tommy, 
to  which  name  he  soon  began  to  answer. 

In  three  days  after  his  capture  he  was  quite  tame.  He  then 
ate  crackers  out  of  my  hand ;  ate  boiled  rice  and  roasted  plant- 
ain ;  and  drank  the  milk  of  a  goat.  Two  weeks  after  his  capture 
he  was  perfectly  tamed,  and  no  longer  required  to  be  tied  up. 
He  ran  about  the  camp,  and,  when  we  went  back  to  Obindji's 
town,  found  his  way  about  the  village  and  into  the  huts  just  as 
though  he  had  been  raised  there. 

He  had  a  great  affection  for  me,  and  used  constantly  to  follow 
me  about.  When  I  sat  down,  he  was  not  content  till  he  had 
climbed  upon  me  and  hid  his  head  in  my  breast.  He  was  ex- 
tremely fond  of  being  petted  and  fondled,  and  would  sit  by  the 
hour  while  any  one  stroked  his  head  or  back. 

He  soon  began  to  be  a  very  great  thief.  When  the  people  left 
their  huts  he  would  steal  in  and  make  off  with  their  plantains  or 
fish.  He  watched  very  carefully  till  all  had  left  a  house,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  catch  him  in  the  act.   I  flogged  him  several  times, 


THE  STORY  OF  NSHIEGO  TOMMY. 


331 


and,  indeed,  brought  him  to  the  conviction  that  it  was  wrong  to 
steal ;  but  he  could  never  resist  the  temptation. 

From  me  he  stole  constantly.  He  soon  found  out  that  my  hut 
was  better  furnished  with  ripe  bananas  and  other  fruit  than  any 
other's;  and  also  he  discovered  that  the  best  time  to  steal  from 
me  was  when  I  was  asleep  in  the  morning.  At  that  time  he 
used  to  crawl  in  on  his  tiptoes,  move  slyly  toward  my  bed,  look  at 
my  closed  eyes,  and,  if  he  saw  no  movement,  with  an  air  of  great 
relief  go  up  and  pluck  several  plantains.  If  I  stirred  in  the  least 
he  was  off  like  a  flash,  and  would  presently  re-enter  for  another 
inspection.  If  my  eyes  were  open  when  he  came  in  on  such  a 
predatory  trip,  he  at  once  came  up  to  me  with  an  honest  face,  and 
climbed  on  and  caressed  me.  But  I  could  easily  detect  an  occa- 
sional wishful  glance  toward  the  bunch  of  plantains. 

My  hut  had  no  door,  but  was  closed  with  a  mat,  and  it  was 
very  funny  to  see  Tommy  gently  raising  one  corner  of  this  mat 
to  see  if  I  was  asleep.  Sometimes  I  counterfeited  sleep,  and  then 
stirred  just  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  taking  off  his  prize.  Then  he 
would  drop  every  thing,  and  make  off  in  the  utmost  consterna- 
tion. 

He  kept  the  run  of  meal-times,  and  was  present  at  as  many 
meals  as  possible ;  that  is,  he  would  go  from  my  breakfast  to 
half  a  dozen  others,  and  beg  something  at  each.  But  he  never 
missed  my  breakfast  and  dinner,  knowing  by  experience  that  he 
fared  best  there.  I  had  a  kind  of  rude  table  made,  on  which  my 
meals  were  served  in  the  open  part  of  my  house.  This  was  too 
high  for  Tommy  to  see  the  dishes ;  so  he  used  to  come  in  before 
I  sat  down,  when  all  was  ready,  and  climb  up  on  the  pole  which 
supported  the  roof.  From  here  he  attentively  surveyed  every 
dish  on  the  table,  and,  having  determined  what  to  have,  he  would 
descend  and  sit  down  at  my  side. 

If  I  did  not  immediately  pay  attention  to  him  he  began  to 
howl,  "Hew !  hew !  hew !"  louder  and  louder,  till,  for  peace'  sake, 
his  wants  were  satisfied.  Of  course,  I  could  not  tell  what  he  had 
chosen  for  dinner  of  my  different  dishes,  and  would  offer  him  first 
one,  then  another,  till  the  right  one  came.  If  he  received  what  he 
did  not  want,  he  threw  it  down  on  the  ground  with  a  little  shriek 
of  anger  and  a  stamp  of  his  foot;  and  this  was  repeated  till  he  was 
served  to  his  liking.  In  short,  he  behaved"  very  much  like  a  bad- 
ly-spoiled child. 


332 


TOMMY'S  TRICKS. 


If  I  pleased  him  quickly,  lie  thanked  me  by  a  kind  of  gentle 
murmur,  like  "  hoohoo,"  and  would  hold  out  his  hand  to  shake- 
mine.  He  was  very  fond  of  boiled  meat — particularly  boiled  fish, 
and  was  constantly  picking  bones  he  picked  up  about  the  town. 
He  wanted  always  to  taste  of  my  coffee,  and  when  Makondai 
brought  it,  would  beg  of  me,  in  the  most  serious  manner,  for 
some. 

I  made  him  a  little  pillow  to  sleep  on,  and  this  he  was  very 
fond  of.  When  he  was  once  accustomed  to  it  he  never  parted 
from  it  more,  but  dragged  it  after  him  wherever  he  went.  If  bv 
any  chance  it  was  lost,  the  whole  camp  knew  it  by  his  howls ;  and 
sometimes  I  had  to  send  people  to  look  for  it  when  he  had  mis- 
laid it  on  some  forest  excursion,  so  that  he  might  stop  his  noise. 
He  slept  on  it  always,  coiled  up  into  a  little  heap,  and  only  relin- 
quished it  when  I  gave  him  permission  to  accompany  me  into  the 
woods. 

As  he  became  more  and  more  used  to  our  ways,  he  became 
more  impatient  of  contradiction,  and  more  fond  of  being  caressed: 
and  whenever  he  was  thwarted  he  howled  in  his  disagreeable 
way.  As  the  dry  season  came  on  it  became  colder,  and  Tommy 
began  to  wish  for  company  when  he  slept,  to  keep  him  warm. 
The  negroes  would  not  have  him  for  a  companion,  for  he  was  for 
them  too  much  like  one  of  themselves.  I  would  not  give  him 
room  near  me.  So  poor  Tommy  was  reduced  to  misery,  as  he 
seemed  to  think.  But  soon  I  found  that  he  waited  till  every 
body  was  fast  asleep  at  night,  and  then  crawled  in  softly  next  some 
of  his  black  friends,  and  slept  there  till  earliest  dawn.  Then  he 
would  up  and  away  undiscovered.  Several  times  he  was  caught 
and  beaten,  but  he  always  tried  it  again. 

He  showed  an  extraordinary  fondness  for  strong  drink.  "When- 
ever a  negro  had  palm  wine  Tommy  was  sure  to  know  it.  He 
had  a  decided  taste  for  Scotch  ale,  of  which  I  had  a  few  bottles, 
and  even  begged  for  brandy.  Indeed,  his  last  exploit  was  with  a 
brandy  bottle,  which,  on  going  out,  I  had  carelessly  left  on  my 
chest.  The  little  rascal  stole  in,  and  seeing  it,  and  being  unable 
to  get  out  the  cork,  in  some  way  broke  it.  When  I  returned, 
after  some  hours'  absence,  I  found  my  precious  bottle — it  was  the 
last,  and  to  the  African  traveler  brandy  is  as  indispensable  as 
quinine — broken  in  pieces,  and  master  Tommy  coiled  up  on  the 
floor  by  the  side  of  the  fragments  in  a  state  of  maudlin  drunken- 


DEATH  OF  TOMMY. 


338 


ness.  When  he  saw  me  he  got  up  and  tried  to  stagger  up  to  me, 
but  his  legs  tottered,  and  he  fell  down  several  times.  His  eyes 
had  a  glare  of  human  drunkenness ;  his  arms  were  extended  in 
vain  attempts  to  reach  me ;  his  voice  came  thick ;  in  fact,  he 
looked  disgustingly  and  yet  comically  human.  It  was  the  maud- 
lin and  sentimental  stage  of  human  drunkenness  very  well  repre- 
sented. I  gave  him  a  severe  thrashing,  which  served  to  sober 
the  little  toper  somewhat ;  but  nothing  could  cure  him  of  his  love 
tor  liquor. 

He  had  a  great  deal  of  intelligence ;  and  if  I  had  had  leisure  I 
think  I  might  have  trained  him  to  some  kind  of  good  behavior, 
though  I  despaired  of  his  thieving  disposition.  He  lived  so  long, 
and  was  growing  so  accustomed  to  civilized  life,  that  I  began  to 
have  great  hopes  of  being  able  to  carry  him  alive  to  America. 
But  alas!  poor  Tommy.  One  morning  he  refused  his  food,  seem- 
ed downcast,  and  was  very  anxious  to  be  petted  and  held  in  the 
arms.  I  got  all  kinds  of  forest  berries  for  him,  but  he  refused  all. 
He  did  not  seem  to  suffer,  but  ate  nothing ;  and  next  day,  with- 
out a  struggle,  died.  Poor  fellow !  I  was  vefy  sorry,  for  he  had 
grown  to  be  quite  a  pet  companion  for  me;  and  even  the  ne- 
groes, though  he  had  given  them  great  trouble,  were  sorry  at  his 
death. 

The  mother  of  Thomas  was  an  adult  female,  aged,  to  judge  by 
her  teeth,  which  were  much  worn ;  but  quite  black  in  the  face  and 
hands.  She  was  of  the  bald-headed  variety  of  the  nshiego — the 
nshiego  mbouve  of  the  Bakalai.  Eyebrows  thin,  and  from  half 
to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  long.  Eyelids  thin  and  short.  Up- 
per and  lower  lips  and  chin  sparsely  covered  with  short  gray 
hairs.  Neck  hairy.  Thin  hair  on  the  cheeks,  beginning  at  the 
temples  parallel  with  the  upper  part  of  the  ear.  Ears  large.  The 
head  entirely  bald  down  to  a  line  drawn  from  the  middle  part  of 
the  ears  behind ;  this  bald  skin  was  quite  black.  On  the  back 
fine  black  hair.  Rump  partly  bare,  and  where  bare  the  skin  was 
quite  white.  Hair  on  the  chest  grayish-black,  and  thin,  growing- 
thicker  on  the  abdomen,  and  grayer  on  the  legs.  Height  3  feet  9 
inches.  This  female  differed  very  decidedly  from  the  female  of 
the  gorilla  or  chimpanzee. 

Tommy  turned  darker  as  he  grew  older,  and  at  his  death  was 
yellow  rather  than  white. 

To  return  now  to  our  camp.    On  the  next  day,  May  15th,  we 


334 


STAEVATION. 


set  out  again,  in  hopes  to  kill  at  least  a  deer.  It  was  already  latt 
in  the  afternoon  when  we  saw  our  first  piece  of  game,  a  beautiful 
little  monkey,  called  by  the  negroes  the  radova.  He  poked  his 
white  nose  out  of  a  bush  and  chattered  at  us,  and  Malaouen,  with- 
out loss  of  time,  replied  with  a  charge  of  buck-shot,  which  tum- 
bled him  over.  With  this  we  were  obliged  to  return  to  camp, 
having  taken  no  provisions  along.  Grouamba  was  very  strong  in 
me  to-day,  and  I  determined  to  have  soup  made  of  the  monkey, 
and  try  it.  The  animal  was  very  fat ;  and  as  hunger  stifled  my  dis- 
gust, I  made  a  pretty  good  meal.  I  shared  with  Quengueza  and 
his  wives,  who  did  not  touch  the  nshiego  meat.  This  made  a  fat 
feast  for  the  Bakalai  and  the  slaves,  who  were  exceedingly  re- 
joiced. I  could  not  stomach  it ;  it  was  too  much  like  cannibal- 
ism. Nor  have  I  ever  but  once  tasted  the  meat  of  any  of  these 
great  apes,  though  necessity  compelled  me,  after  this,  to  dine  off 
monkey. 

My  men  were  now  getting  short  of  every  kind  of  provisions, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  purchase  for  them  from  the  villages.  The 
chief  articles  brought  were  some  loaves  of  ndica,  a  kind  of  bread 
made  of  the  seeds  of  the  mango-tree  pounded  and  dried.  It  does 
not  taste  unpleasantly,  but  I  could  not  live  on  it.  There  was  also 
a  clear  yellow  oil,  which,  when  cool,  had  the  color  and  consistency 
of  scorched  lard,  and  was  called  agali  njavi  (njavi  oil).  It  is 
made  with  infinite  labor  from  the  seeds  of  a  certain  tree  which  is 
abundant  here,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  ornaments  of  these  forests. 
They  boil  the  seed,  then  mash  it  on  a  hollowed-out  board,  and 
then  squeeze  out  the  not  very  abundant  oil  with  their  hands.  It 
makes  a  nice-looking  oil,  which  is  used  to  cook  meat  in,  and  thus 
prepared  meat  does  not  taste  badly. 

They  also  mix  the  oil  with  a  kind  of  odoriferous  powder  call- 
ed yombo,  and  this  mixture  is  then  applied  in  great  quantities 
upon  their  wool.  They  think  it  gives  out  a  pleasant  fragrance, 
but  in  reality  it  makes  an  abominable  stench. 

But  another  use  of  the  oil  is  really  sensible.  When  the  men 
have  been  for  some  time  out  in  inclement  weather,  or  are  dusty, 
or  parched  with  working  in  the  sun,  their  skin  becomes  dried  up. 
cracked,  and  reddish  in  color.  Then  they  come  home,  wash  off 
clean,  and  oil  themselves  all  over  with  this  soft  oil.  The  dried- 
up  skin  becomes  in  a  little  time  smooth,  and  of  a  shiny,  healthy 
black  again.    Palm-oil  is  used  elsewhere  for  this  purpose;  but 


THE  KOAE  OF  THE  GOEILLA.  335 

the  palm-oil-tree  is  very  scarce  here,  and  the  little  of  the  oil  they 
have  is  brought  from  the  Ashira  country  to  the  east,  which  is  now 
my  Promised  Land,  toward  which  I  daily  lift  longing  eyes. 

On  the  16th  I  went  out  by  myself  and  shot  some  birds,  and,  to 
my  great  joy,  a  nchombi,  a  beautiful  bush-deer.  Now  gouamba 
was  put  off  for  some  days.  The  meat  was  carefully  smoked,  and 
the  next  day  Malaouen  returned  to  the  village,  and  Querlaouen 
came  out  to  hunt  with  me.  This  changed  the  luck,  it  seemed,  for  > 
we  had  hardly  gone  an  hour's  walk  from  camp  when  we  came 
upon  a  herd  of  wild  pigs,  and  bagged  two. 

Unfortunately  my  salt  has  given  out.  I  have  been  able  to  buy 
a  little,  but  it  is  a  very  dear  article  here,  as  they  have  to  get  it 
from  the  sea-shore  natives,  and  the  trade  is  very  irregular. 

On  the  18th,  as  we  were  hunting,  I  heard  in  the  far  distance 
what  I  at  first  took  to  be  muttering  thunder.  I  hurried  on  to 
reach  some  shelter  in  an  ebony-grove  at  a  distance  before  the 
storm  should  break,  but  presently  perceived  the  noise  to  be  caused 
by  a  male  gorilla  which  was  roaring  to  its  female ;  which  latter, 
after  a  while,  could  be  heard  answering  with  a  weaker  roar.  The 
forest  fairly  shook  with  the  tremendous  voice  of  this  animal. 
The  echoes  swelled  and  died  away  from  hill  to  hill,  until  the 
whole  forest  was  full  of  the  din. 

Unluckily  I  had  gone  out  with  my  smallest  gun  loaded  with 
shot  to  shoot  birds.  I  put  in  a  ball  instead  of  the  shot,  and  de- 
termined to  follow  up  the  animals.  By-and-by  I  could  hear  the 
deep  drum-like  sound  which  the  male  gorilla  causes  by  beating 
his  breast  with  his  huge  fists.  The  jungle  was  quite  thick,  and 
our  advance  slow.  Poor  Makondai  was  in  a  great  fright  as  we 
heard  the  animal,  which  kept  up  its  terrible  roaring,  waiting  ev- 
ery few  minutes  to  hear  the  replies  of  its  female. 

Presently  I  heard  trees  cracking,  and  saw  through  the  wood? 
how  every  few  minutes  a  sapling  was  swung  about  and  then 
broken  off.  While  I  was  watching  these  actions  I  suppose  the 
animal  became  aware  of  the  presence  of  danger,  for  presently  a 
dead  silence  followed  on  the  loud  roars ;  and  when,^gun  in  hand. 
I  broke  through  the  w^od,  my  gorilla  was  gone. 

I  am  sure  that  I  must  have  heard  this  gorilla's  roar  three  miles 
off,  and  the  noise  of  beating  his  breast  at  least  a  mile.  No  words 
can  describe  the  thuaderous  noise  which  it  produces. 

In  examining  the  piece  of  wood  where  these  gorillas  were  mov- 


336  NEWS  FROM  HOME. 

ing  and  feeding,  I  learned,  for  the  first  time,  the  cause  of  the  great 
wear  there  is  on  the  canine  teeth  of  this  animal,  and  especially  of 
the  male,  which  I  could  not  before  account  for,  and  also  saw  some 
surprising  evidences  of  their  strength.  Several  trees,  each  of 
which  was  from  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  had  been  broken 
down  by  these  animals ;  and  I  found  that  they  had  bit  into  the 
heart  of  these  trees  and  eaten  out  the  pith.  Now  the  wood  is 
hard,  and  by  the  peculiar,  form  of  the  gnawing  I  saw  at  once 
that  it  was  by  this  work  that  the  very  singular  abrasion  of  the 
i  canines  is  caused. 

The  Ecmbo  is  still  deep  and  rapid  as  far  as  we  ascended,  and 
the  land  becomes  more  mountainous,  the  hills  approaching  near- 
er and  nearer  to  the  banks  of  the  river.  When  we  returned,  the 
town  was  filled  with  joy  at  our  success  on  the  hunt.  Quengueza 
made  himself  sick  carousing  on  four  hams  which  I  gave  him  from 
my  share  of  some  wild  pigs  we  had  shot.  The  old  fellow  has 
brought  all  the  ebony  down — a  heavy  job,  as  the  pieces  weighed 
from  twenty  to  sixty  pounds,  and  bad  to  be  carried  on  men's 
shoulders  over  a  very  rough  and  woody  country. 

I  ought  to  mention  that  on  our  way  up  river  the  people  point- 
ed out  to  me  a  tree  which  contained  a  nest,  which  they  said  be- 
longed to  a  bird  called  the  guanionian,  an  immense  eagle,  accord- 
ing to  their  description,  which  preys  on  monkeys.  I  could  not 
see  the  bird  —  nor  did  I  ever  see  it — though  once  a  bird  was 
pointed  out  to  me  as  this  mysterious  eagle ;  but  it  was  so  high 
in  the  air  that  I  could  not  say  what  it  was. 

On  the  28th  of  May  we  started  down  the  river  for  Obindji's 
town.  I  bade  good-by  to  all  my  good  friends,  and  distributed 
presents  to  them,  remembering  particularly  the  women  who  had 
been  so  kind  to  me.  Our  canoes  were  loaded  with  ebony ;  and  in 
the  stern  of  mine  was  perched,  near  my  shoulder,  little  Tommy, 
the  nshiego. 

When  we  got  to  Obindji's,  I  found  a  man  who  had  come  all 
the  way  from  Biagano  with  a  package  of  eight  letters  and  a  file 
of  New  York  papers,  which  had  been  forwarded  to  me  by  my 
friends  the  missionaries  at  the  Gaboon,  jf.  had  now  been  many 
months  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  doings  of  the  great  civilized 
world ;  and  while  the  letters  from  friends  and  home  were  most 
eagerly  opened  and  read,  the  file  of  paper!  lay  before  me  like 
some  great  mystery  about  to  be  revealed — a  mystery  of  no  very 


GENERAL  SCARCITY  OF  FOOD. 


337 


dear  personal  interest  to  me,  but  yet  which  I  was  eager  to  probe 
to  such  bottom  as  I  could  get  at.  So  I  sat  down  to  read.  The 
people  were  much  astonished — and  so  was  I  at  many  things  I 
read.  It  was  a  singular  intermingling  of  two  lives.  In  the  body 
I  was  yet  in  the  rude  town  of  poor  old  Obindji,  far  enough  from 
civilization  to  make  civilized  life  seem  improbable.  But  in  the 
spirit  I  was  walking  New  York  streets,  with  a  friend  at  my  side 
revealing  to  me  at  every  step  all  that  had  occurred  in  these  many 
months.  I  am  sure  no  papers  were  ever  more  thoroughly  read 
than  these ;  even  the  advertisements  had  a  delightful  novelty  to 
me.  Happily  the  29th  was  Sunday,  and  I  took  my  ease  with  my 
papers  all  day. 

On  the  30th  we  started  with  one  hundred  men  up  the  Ofoubou, 
the  river  which  joins  the  Kembo  just  above  Obindji,  for  a  Bakalai 
town  called  Njali-Coudie,  the  chief  of  which  was  a  friend  of  Quen- 
gueza's,  who  had  sent  to  promise  me  some  gorilla-hunts  if  I  would 
come  to  see  him. 

The  Ofoubou  is  a  smaller  river  than  the  Bembo ;  but  at  present 
had  overflowed  its  banks,  and  spread  its  waters  over  the  strip 
of  lowland  which  bordered  it  and  separated  it  from  the  hills. 
Njali-Coudie  lies  about  ten  miles  back  of  the  river  among  the 
hills.  After  pulling  up  some  twenty-five  miles  we  came  to  the 
landing-place,  whence  we  had  to  strike  inland.  Here  we  found  a 
swamp,  having  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  feet  water  upon  it, 
through  which  we  had  to  wade,  over  clayey,  slippery  ground,  for 
nearly  a  mile.  This  mile  lasted  an  hour.  Then  we  came  to  high 
and  dry  ground,  and  traveled  onward  till  at  three  o'clock  we 
reached  the  town,  where  we  were  received  with  a  hearty  wel- 
come. 

We  had  left  Obindji's  without  a  morsel  of  breakfast  even ;  and 
as  I  had  not  broken  my  fast  since  the  previous  evening,  I  was  not 
sorry  to  have  Mbango,  the  chief,  send  me  a  goat  and  some  bunch- 
es of  plantains,  of  which,  when  cooked,  I  made  a  very  satisfying 
meal. 

Obindji's  town  was  nearly  at  the  starvation-point.  The  poor 
fellows  had  been  very  generous  to  us  while  they  had  food  to  give ; 
but  now  was  the  time  of  general  scarcity,  when  the  last  crop  was 
eaten  up  and  the  coming  crop  was  not  yet  ready.  They  were 
actually  living  on  the  poor  roots  they  could  gather  in  the  woods. 
In  Mbango's  town  they  were  a  little  better  off ;  but  even  here  our 

Y 


338 


SURPRISE  AT  MY  APPEARANCE. 


advent  soon  created  a  famine.  The  staples  of  this  country  are 
plantains  and  manioc.  New  plantains,  even  if  plucked  green, 
will  soon  ripen  and  rot.  They  do  not  know  how  to  dry  and  pre- 
serve them.  -  Manioc  may  be  dried,  and  thus  made  to  last  two 
months  at  farthest;  but  long  before  that  it  is  poor  eating.  Of 
course,  there  are  periods  every  year  when  these  perishable  pro- 
visions are  eaten  up,  and  when  even  a  prudent  town  suffers  foi 
want  of  food ;  for  fish  are  not  very  plenty  here,  and  as  for  game, 
they  are  not  very  good  hunters,  and  even  I  found  it  a  poor  game 
country.  Often  I  wished  for  a  few  ears  of  Indian  corn  to  estab- 
lish a  new  order  of  things  among  these  poor  people ;  but  corn  is 
not  planted  at  all  in  these  parts. 

Mbango  had  been  notified  of  our  coming,  and  had  built  for  me 
a  very  neat,  commodious  bark  house,  with  a  clay  floor  pounded 
hard,  and  all  very  clean  and  comfortable.  The  village  itself  is 
one  of  the  neatest  I  have  seen  among  the  Bakalai.  When  I  had 
eaten  my  dinner,  the  people  came  in  crowds  to  see  me.  My  hair 
was,  as  usual,  the  most  singular  part  of  my  person  to  them.  A 
considerable  number  of  female  strangers  were  in  the  town  to  cel- 
ebrate the  feast  of  Njambai,  one  of  their  spirits;  and  these  could 
not  look  at  me  or  wonder  at  my  appearance  enough. 

There  was  such  a  crowd,  indeed,  that  next  day  food  began  to 
grow  scarce,  and*  I  had  to  send  Makondai  over,  with  thirty  men 
and  some  goods,  to  buy  some  plantains.  In  buying  food  beads 
are  the  best  trade.  The  women  cultivate  the  ground  and  sell  the 
surplus  products,  and  they  prefer  beads  above  every  thing  else. 
The  women  in  all  this  country  seem  to  have  a  good  deal  of  priv- 
ilege in  this  way.  They  are  expected  to  feed  their  husbands ; 
and  Quengueza  frequently  tells  his  wives  to  feed  him  well  and 
take  good  care  of  him,  because  he  treats  them  well.  But  what  is 
left  or  not  needed  of  the  fruits  thus  raised  the  men  have  no  right 
to.  The  women  sell  and  keep  for  themselves  the  articles  re- 
ceived. Makondai  returned  next  day  with  forty-five  bunches  of 
plantains  and  two  fowls — a  very  good  supply  for  the  time. 

Meantime  the  feast  went  on,  and  gave  me  a  sleepless  night,  as 
no  African  feast  or  ceremony  is  complete  without  shouting,  sing- 
ing, drumming,  and  dancing,  and  playing  on  such  a  harp  as  is 
shown  in  the  picture.  Mbango,  it  appears,  is  the  head  or  chief 
of  his  clan  or  family,  which  includes  half  a  dozen  towns  within 
thirty  miles  around.    As  chief.  Mbango  keeps  the  idol  of  the 


NEGRO  WORSHIP. 


339 


UAKP  OF  THE  BAKALAL 


clan,  and  all  come  hither  at  regular  periods  to  sing  songs  of  invo- 
cation to  it.  It  is  a  female  figure,  of  wood,  nearly  life  size,  and 
with  cloven  feet  like  those  of  a  deer.  Her  eyes  were  of  copper ; 
one  cheek  was  painted  red  and  the  other  yellow.  About  her 
neck  hung  a  necklace  of  tiger's  teeth.  She  is  said  to  have  great 
power,  and  the  people  believe  that  on  certain  occasions  she  nods 
her  head.  She  is  said  to  talk  quite  frequently — as  might,  in- 
deed, be  expected.    She  is  very  highly  venerated  by  the  people. 

I  told  Mbango  that  the  noise  near  my  house  disturbed  my  sleep, 
and  the  good  fellow  ordered  his  people  to  celebrate  a  little  farther 
away.  On  the  30th  and  31st,  however,  there  was  a  dead  silence 
and  a  great  darkness.  No  light  was  allowed  but  my  own.  The 
mbuiti  was  set  out  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  the  people 
stood  all  around  her.  She  is  said  to  have  bowed,  walked  about 
and  spoken  to  some  one,  expressing  her  pleasure  at  two  bush- 
deer  which  had  been  offered  her  the  night  before.  She  ate  some 
of  the  meat— so  I  was  assured — and  left  the  rest  for  the  people. 

On  the  2d  (June)  the  women  began  their  peculiar  worship  of 
Njambai,  which,  it  seems,  is  their  good  spirit ;  and  it  is  remarkable 
that  all  the  Bakalai  clans,  and  all  the  females  of  tribes  I  have  met 
during  my  journeys,  worship  or  venerate  a  spirit  with  this  same 
name.  Near  the  sea-shore  it  is  pronounced  Njembai,  but  it  is 
evidently  the  same. 


340 


SPYING  OUT  A  MYSTERY. 


This  worship  of  the  women  is  a  kind  of  mystery ;  no  men  be- 
ing admitted  to  the  ceremonies,  which  are  carried  on  in  a  house 
very  carefully  closed.  This  house  was  covered  with  dry  palm 
and  banana  leaves,  and  had  not  even  a  doof  open  to  the  street. 
To  make  all  close  it  was  set  against  two  other  houses,  and  the  en- 
trance was  through  one  of  these.  Quengueza  and  Mbango  warn- 
ed me  not  to  go  near  this  place,  as  not  even  they  were  permitted 
so  much  as  to  take  a  look.  All  the  women  of  the  village  paint- 
ed their  faces  and  bodies,  beat  drums,  marched  about  the  town, 
and  from  time  to  time  entered  the  idol-house,  where  they  danced 
all  one  night,  and  made  a  more  outrageous  noise  than  even  the 
men  had  made  before.  They  also  presented  several  bush-deer  to 
the  goddess ;  and  on  the  4th  all  but  a  few  went  off  into  the  woods 
to  sing  to  Njambai. 

I  noticed  that  half  a  dozen  remained,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
morning  entered  the  Njambai-house,  where  they  staid  in  great 
silence.  Now  my  curiosity,  which  had- been  greatly  excited  to 
know  what  took  place  in  this  secret  worship,  finally  overcame  me. 
[  determined  to  see.  Walking  several  times  up  and  down  the 
street  past  the  house  to  allay  suspicion,  I  at  last  suddenly  pushed 
aside  some  of  the  leaves  and  stuck  my  head  through  the  wall. 
For  a  moment  I  could  distinguish  nothing  in  the  darkness. 
Then  I  beheld  three  perfectly  naked  old  hags  sitting  on  the  clay 
iloor,  with  an  immense  bundle  of  greegrees  before  them,  which 
they  seemed  to  be  silently  adoring. 

When  they  saw  me  they  at  once  set  up  a  hideous  howl  of 
rage,  and  rushed  out  to  call  their  companions  from  the  bush.  In 
a  few  minutes  these  came  rushing  in,  crying  and  lamenting ;  rush- 
ing toward  me  with  gestures  of  anger,  and  threatening  me  for  my 
offense.  I  quickly  reached  my  house,  and,  seizing  my  gun  in  one 
hand  and  a  revolver  in  the  other,  told  them  I  would  shoot  the 
first  one  that  came  inside  my  door.  The  house  was  surrounded 
by  above  three  hundred  infuriated  women,  every  one  shouting 
out  curses  at  me ;  but  the  sight  of  my  revolver  kept  them  back. 
They  adjourned  presently  for  the  Njambai-house,  and  from  there 
sent  a  deputation  to  the  men,  who  were  to  inform  me  that  I  must 
pay  for  the  "  palaver"  I  had  made. 

This  I  peremptorily  refused  to  do,  telling  Quengueza  and 
Mbango  that  I  was  their  stranger,  and  must  be  allowed  to  do  as 
I  pleased,  as  their  rules  were  nothing  to  me  who  was  a  white 


A  PALAVER  SETTLED. 


341 


man  and  did  not  believe  in  their  idols.  In  truth,  if  I  had  once 
paid  for  such  a  transgression  as  this,  there  would  have  been  an 
end  of  all  traveling  for  me,  as  I  often  broke  through  their  absurd 
rules  without  knowing  it,  and  my  only  course  was  to  declare  my- 
self irresponsible. 

LTowever,  the  women  would  not  give  up,  but  threatened  ven- 
geance not  only  on  me,  but  on  all  the  men  of  the  town ;  and  as  1 
as  positively  refused  to  pay  any  thing,  it  was  at  last,  to  my  great 
surprise,  determined  by  Mbango  and  his  male  subjects  that  they 
would  make  up  from  their  own  possessions  such  a  sacrifice  as  the 
women  demanded  of  me.  Accordingly  Mbango  contributed  ten. 
fathoms  of  native  cloth,  and  the  men  came  one  by  one  and  put 
their  offerings  on  the  ground,  some  plates,  some  knives,  some 
mugs,  some  beads,  some  mats,  and  various  other  articles.  Mban- 
go came  again  and  asked  if  I  too  would  not  contribute  some- 
thing ;  but  I  refused.  In  fact,  I  dared  not  set  such  a  precedent. 
So  when  all  had  given  what  they  could,  the  whole  amount  was 
taken  to  the  ireful  women,  to  whom  Mbango  said  that  I 'was 
his  and  his  men's  guest,  and  that  they  could  not  ask  me  to  pay 
in  such  a  matter;  therefore  they  paid  the  demand  themselves. 
With  this  the  women  were  satisfied,  and  there  the  quarrel  ended. 
Of  course  I  could  not  make  any  farther  investigations  into  their 
mysteries.  The  Njambai  feast  lasts  about  two  weeks.  I  could 
learn  very  little  about  the  spirit  which  they  call  by  this  name. 
Their  own  ideas  are  quite  vague.  They  know  only  that  it  pro- 
tects the  women  against  their  male  enemies,  avenges  their  wrongs, 
and  serves  them  in  various  ways  if  they  please  it. 

On  the  6th  I  went  out  to  see  the  mbando,  or  olalco,  of  Igoumba. 
the  Ashira  chief  of  whom  I  made  mention  at  Goumbi.  It  lies 
about  ten  miles  east  from  Mbango's  town,  and  the  people  were 
engaged  in  cutting  ebony,  which  was  to  be  given  to  Quengueza. 
The  camp  was  placed  in  a  very  beautiful  spot,  a  half  clearing  on 
the  hill-side,  not  far  from  where  the  Niama  Bembai  falls  down 
through  the  hills  by  several  pretty  cascades.  This  is  a  very  pret- 
ty stream,  which  has  its  rise  eastward  in  the  Ashira  country,  and 
flows  into  the  Ofoubou.  Its  bed  is  gravelly,  and  its  waters  clear 
and  purling  like  some  northern  brook.  Here  it  affords  plenty  of 
water-power,  waiting  for  factories. 

On  the  way  I  killed  a  beautiful  bird,  the  Apoloderma  marina, 
the  size  of  the  common  dove,  but  with  a  splendid  crimson  breast. 


342 


MAN  KILLED  BY  A  GORILLA. 


golden  green  on  the  back,  and  wings  colored  a  fine  pearl  gra}\ 
Also  one  of  tbe  men  shot  a  young  T.  Calvus,  female.  It  was  2 
feet  11  inches  high,  and  was  of  a  curious  mulatto  color. 

The  next  day,  7th,  we  went  on  a  gorilla-hunt.  All  the  olako 
was  busy  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival  with  preparations;  and 
as  meat  was  scarce,  every  body  had  joyful  anticipations  of  hun- 
ger satisfied  and  plenty  in  the  camp.  Little  did  we  guess  what 
frightful  death  was  to  befall  one  of  our  number  before  the  next 
sunset. 

I  gave  powder  to  the  whole  party.  Six  were  to  go  off  in  one 
direction  for  bush-deer,  and  whatever  luck  might  send  them,  and 
six  others,  of  whom  I  was  one,  were  to  hunt  for  gorilla.  We  set 
off  toward  a  dark  valley,  where  Gambo,  Igoumba's  son,  said  we 
should  find  our  prey.  The  gorilla  choose  the  darkest,  gloomiest 
forests  for  its  home,  and  is  found  on  the  edges  of  the  clearings 
only  when  in  search  of  plantains,  or  sugar-cane,  or  pine-apple. 
Often  they  choose  for  their  peculiar  haunt  a  piece  of  wood  so 
dark  that  even  at  midday  one  can  scarce  see  ten  yards.  This 
makes  it  the  more  necessary  to  wait  till  the  monstrous  beast  ap- 
proaches near  before  shooting,  in  order  that  the  first  shot  may  be 
fatal.    It  does  not  often  let  the  hunter  reload. 

Our  little  party  separated,  as  is  the  custom,  to  stalk  the  wood 
in  various  directions.  Gambo  and  I  kept  together.  One  brave 
fellow  went  off  alone  in  a  direction  where  he  thought  he  could 
find  a  gorilla.  The  other  three  took  another  course.  "We  had 
been  about  an  hour  separated  when  Gambo  and  I  heard  a  gun 
fired  but  little  way  from  us,  and  presently  another.  We  were  al- 
ready on  our  way  to  the  spot  where  we  hoped  to  see  a  gorilla 
slain,  when  the  forest  began  to  resound  with  the  most  terrific  roars. 
Gambo  seized  my  arms  in  great  agitation,  and  we  hurried  on, 
both  filled  with  a  dreadful  and  sickening  fear.  We  had  not  gone 
far  when  our  worst  fears  were  realized.  The  poor  brave  fellow 
who  had  gone  off  alone  was  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  pool  of  his 
own  blood,  and  I  thought  at  first  quite  dead.  His  bowels  were 
protruding  through  the  lacerated  abdomen.  Beside  him  lay  his 
gun.  The  stock  was  broken,  and  the  barrel  was  bent  and  flatten- 
ed.   It  bore  plainly  the  marks  of  the  gorilla's  teeth. 

We  picked  him  up,  and  I  dressed  his  wounds  as  well  as  I 
could  with  rags  torn  from  my  clothes.  When  I  had  given  him  a 
little  brandy  to  drink  he  came  to  himself  and  was  able,  but  with 


GORILLA- HUNTEKS. 


345 


great  difficulty,  to  speak.  He  said  that  he  had  met  the  gorilla 
suddenly  and  face  to  face,  and  that  it  had  not  attempted  to  escape. 
It  was,  he  said,  a  huge  male,  and  seemed  very  savage.  It  was  in  a 
very  gloomy  part  of  the  wood,  and  the  darkness,  I  suppose,  made 
him  miss.  He  said  he  took  good  aim,  and  fired  when  the  beast 
was  only  about  eight  yards  off.  The  ball  merely  wounded  it  in 
the  side.  It  at  once  began  beating  its  breasts,  and  with  the  great- 
est rage  advanced  upon  him. 

To  run  away  was  impossible.  He  would  have  been  caught  in 
the  jungle  before  he  had  gone  a  dozen  steps. 

He  stood  his  ground,  and  as  quickly  as  he  could  reloaded  his 
gun.  Just  as  he  raised  it  to  fire  the  gorilla  dashed  it  out  of  his 
hands,  the  gun  going  off  in  the  fall,  and  then  in  an  instant,  and 
with  a  terrible  roar,  the  animal  gave  him  a  tremendous  blow  with 
its  immense  open  paw,  frightfully  lacerating  the  abdomen,  and 
with  this  single  blow  laying  bare  part  of  the  intestines.  As  he 
sank,  bleeding,  to  the  ground,  the  monster  seized  the  gun,  and  the 
poor  hunter  thought  he  would  have  his  brains  dashed  out  with  it. 
But  the  gorilla  seemed  to  have  looked  upon  this  also  as  an  enemy, 
and  in  his  rage  flattened  the  barrel  between  his  strong  jaws. 

When  we  came  upon  the  ground  the  gorilla  was  gone.  This 
is  their  mode  when  attacked — to  strike  one  or  two  blows,  and 
then  leave  the  victims  of  their  rage  on  the  ground  and  go  off  into 
the  woods. 

We  hunted  up  our  companions  and  carried  our  poor  fellow  to 
the  camp,  where  all  was  instantly  excitement  and  sorrow.  They 
entreated  me  to  give  him  medicine,  but  I  had  nothing  to  suit  his 
case.  I  saw  that  his  days  were  numbered ;  and  all  I  could  do 
was  to  make  him  easy  by  giving  him  a  little  brandy  or  wine  at 
intervals.  He  had  to  tell  the  whole  story  over  again ;  and  the 
people  declared  at  once  that  this  was  no  true  gorilla  that  had  at- 
tacked him,  but  a  man — a  wicked  man  turned  into  a  gorilla. 
Such  a  being  no  man  could  escape,  they  said ;  and  it  could  not 
be  killed,  even  by  the  bravest  hunters.  This  principle  of  fatal- 
ism and  of  transmigration  of  souls  is  brought  in  by  them  in  all 
such  cases,  I  think,  chiefly  to  keep  up  the  courage  of  their  hunt- 
ers, on  whom  such  a  mischance  exercises  a  very  depressing  influ- 
ence. The  hunters  are  the  most  valued  men  in  these  negro  vil- 
lages. A  brave  and  fortunate  one  is  admired  by  all  the  women  ; 
loved — almost  worshiped — by  his  wives;  and  enjoys  many  priv- 


346 


ANIMAL  LIFE  IN  THE  DRY  SEASON. 


ileges  among  his  fellow-villagers.  But  his  proudest  time  is  when 
he  has  killed  an  elephant  or  a  gorilla  and  filled  the  village  with 
meat.  Then  he  may  do  almost  what  he  pleases.  The  next  day 
we  killed  a  monster  gorilla,  which  I  suppose  is  the  same  one  that 
killed  my  poor  hunter. 

June  11th.  Yesterday  I  had  a  very  severe  chill,  but  was  able 
to  check  it  with  quinine,  fortunately.  The  dry  season  has  now 
definitely  set  in  here,  and  the  days  are  cloudy  and  the  nights 
somewhat  cool.  We  are  no  longer  obliged  to  build  shelters 
when  sleeping  out  in  the  woods ;  and  can  hunt  all  day  without 
being  wet  through  as  formerly — all  which  gives  me  a  good  deal 
of  comfort. 

The  poor  fellow  who  was  hurt  by  the  gorilla  died  on  the  9th : 
:md  some  men  went  out  on  the  10th  and  shot  a  large  gorilla,  whose 
remains  were  brought  into  camp  with  great  rejoicings  on  their 
parts,  but  great  rage  on  mine.  My  hunters  had  seen  me  skin  go- 
rillas and  other  animals  so  often  that  they  thought  they  could  do 
this  for  me,  and,  wanting  the  meat  of  this  one,  they  took  off  the 
hide.  So  far  so  good ;  but  the  fellows  did  not  know  what  a 
value  I  placed  upon  the  bones,  and,  to  save  themselves  time  and 
labor,  they  broke  the  bones  of  the  legs  and  of  the  pelvis.  Thus  a 
fine  specimen  was  spoiled  for  me,  or  at  least  made  incomplete.  I 
scolded  them  so  that  they  ran  away  into  the  woods,  as  they  said, 
to  get  out  of  hearing  of  my  tongue. 

This  gorilla  was  an  adult  male,  and  measured  five  feet  seven 
inches  in  height. 

With  the  dry  season,  which  has  now  regularly  set  in,  various 
migratory  birds  return  from  their  wanderings,  and  enliven  the 
forests  and  rivers,  which  are  inhabited  by  other  species  during 
the  rainy  season.  All  nature  has  brightened  up,  and  the  long- 
dreary  forest  is  alive  with  the  chatter  and  song  of  birds.  The 
spurred  quail  {Peliperdrix  Latharai),  with  its  pretty  spotted  breast. 
I  met  at  every  turn  in  the  wood.  The  splendid  Xumkla  plu- 
mifera  is  more  abundant ;  great  numbers  of  kingfishers  occupy 
the  logs  and  overhanging  branches  on  the  rivers,  watching  for 
prey ;  and  doves  are  cooing  to  each  other  all  day  long.  In  the 
little  purling  streams  in  the  hill  country  a  beautiful  little  otter 
uas  made  his  appearance,  and  watches,  beneath  rocks  and  in  dark 
pools,  for  passing  fish ;  while  on  the  Ofoubou  and  the  Eembo  a 
larger  otter,  with  fine  brown  fur,  plunges  into  the  water  almost 


VENOMOUS  FLIES. 


347 


before  one  can  get  even  a  sight  of  him.  Several  varieties  of  swal- 
lows twitter  and  skip  over  the  water,  and  one  flies,  like  the  lark, 
so  bigb  tbat  it  can  scarce  be  distinguished.  Parrots,  of  varied 
colors  and  size,  are  screaming  and  chattering  all  day  in  the  open 
woods.  One  in  particular,  the  gray  parrot,  flies  in  flocks  of  hund- 
reds together,  and  makes  the  whole  wood  alive  with  its  screams. 
These  birds  build  their  nests  in  hollow  trees,  and  are  very  socia- 
ble in  their  nature. 

Until  the  1st  of  July  we  moved  at  random  almost  about  the 
country  between  Mbango's  town  and  the  Kembo.  Game  is  not 
at  all  plenty,  and  we  suffered  occasionally  from  gouamba,  I  par- 
ticularly, who  do  not  like  the  meat  of  either  the  elephant  or  the 
crocodile — on  which,  nevertheless,  I  had  to  live  by  turns  for  a 
week  at  a  time.  The  meat  of  the  elephant  is  very  tough  and 
stringy.  The  natives  smoke  it,  which  makes  it  tougher  yet,  and 
we  had  sometimes  to  boil  it  two  days  before  it  was  masticable. 
It  tastes  rank  and  coarse,  and  has  not  a  bit  of  the  delicate  flavor 
of  hippopotamus  meat.  As  for  the  flesh  of  the  crocodile,  nothing 
but  hunger  could  make  me  eat  it ;  but  necessity  of  that  kind 
knows  no  law.  It  is  really  very  white,  and  also  tender ;  and  the 
negroes  think  it  delicious.  But  I  could  never  conquer  my  dis- 
gust ;  and  it  seemed  to  me,  besides,  tasteless  and  dry. 

This  upper  country  has  few  musquitoes,  but,  in  their  stead,  sev- 
eral varieties  of  flies,  which  are  exceedingly  troublesome.  The 
igoogouai  is  a  small,  almost  imperceptible  gnat,  which  appears  in 
great  numbers  in  the  morning  until  ten  o'clock,  from  which  time 
it  is  seen  no  more  till  four,  when  its  operations  are  recommenced, 
and  last  till  sunset.  These  little  flies  are  most  determined  blood- 
suckers, very  sly  in  their  approaches,  but  leaving  behind  them  a 
bite  which  itches  terribly  and  for  a  considerable  time.  Small  as 
they  are,  even  the  thick  hides  of  the  negroes  are  punctured  by 
them.  In  hunting  they  are  very  troublesome,  and  often  made 
my  men  so  nervous  that  they  could  hit  nothing. 

Another  is  the  ibolat,  an  insect  twice  as  large  as  our  common 
house-fiy.  It  approaches  you  with  a  sharp  whistle,  and  its  sting- 
is  long  and  strong  enough  to  pierce  the  thickest  clothes  one  can 
wear  in  the  heat  of  an  African  summer.  The  sting  is  so  sharp 
that  I  have  often  jumped  up  with  the  sudden  pain,  which  was  as 
if  a  pin  had  been  stuck  savagely  into  my  person.  But  the  bite  of 
this  insect,  if  painful,  does  not  last,  like  that  of  another  of  the  same 


348 


THE  ELOWAY. 


size,  which  is  called  the  nchouna.  This  animal  makes  no  noise  to 
warn  you  of  its  approach,  and  inserts  its  bill  so  gently  that  often 
it  gets  its  fill  of  blood  before  you  know  you  are  bitten.  Present- 
ly, however,  the  itching  begins,  and  lasts  for  several  hours,  varied, 
at  intervals,  by  sudden  sharp  stabs  of  pain,  as  though  a  scorpion 
had  bitten  you.  Often  this  lasts  the  whole  day.  These  last- 
named  animals  are  found  mostly  on  the  rivers. 

The  iboco,  another  fly,  is  the  size  of  a  hornet,  and  very  quick 
in  its  motions.  Its  bite  is  the  most  severe  of  all,  and  clothing  is 
no  protection  from  them.  Often  the  blood  has  run  down  my  face 
or  arm  from  one  of  their  savage  attacks,  and  even  the  well-tanned 
skin  of  the  negroes  is  punctured  till  it  bleeds,  so  that  one  would 
think  a  leech  had  been  at  his  work  on  them. 

But  most  dreadful  of  all  is  the  eloicay,  a  nest-building  fly  which 
frequents  the  water-side,  where  its  clay  hives  are  hung  to  the 
pendent  branches  of  trees.  This  fly  is  really  a  monster  of  feroci- 
ty, and  the  natives  run  from  it  as  they  do  from  no  other  animal 
or  insect  of  these  woods.  The  eloway  is  a  little  fly,  shaped  much 
like  a  bee,  but  not  quite  so  big.  The  body  is  longer  in  propor- 
tion than  that  of  a  bee.  Their  hives  are  made  of  clay,  and  evi- 
dently have  separate  apartments,  as  the  whole  pendent  bottle- 
shaped  mass  is  filled  with  holes,  each  of  which  has  a  little  roof 
over  it.  They  generally  choose  a  branch  which  is  full  of  leaves 
for  their  nago  or  nest,  and  thus  are  hidden  from  view.  The  clay 
of  the  nest  is  so  hard  that  even  a  bullet  fired  from  a  reasonable 
distance  made  no  impression  upon  it,  as  I  found  by  several  trials. 
The  hives  seem  to  be  very  full ;  when  disturbed  I  have  seen  them 
issuing  in  large  swarms,  and  several  from  each  hole. 

When  troubled  they  are  very  savage,  and  attack  with  a  kind  of 
blind  rage.  Sometimes  when  paddling  down  the  Eembo  a  ca- 
noe accidentally  strikes  against  a  tree  containing  an  eloway  nago. 
Instantly  they  fall  ferociously  upon  the  men.  The  natives  al- 
ways dive  into  the  water  and  swim  under  water  for  a  little,  dis- 
tance ;  but  I  noticed  that  if  one  of  these  venomous  little  insects 
had  settled  on  a  man,  he  clung  to  him  even  in  the  water,  and  had 
literally  to  be  picked  off.  In  such  cases  I  always  covered  myself 
up  with  matting  and  lay  still  till  they  retired.  Happily,  they  do 
not  pursue  far;  and  when  the  enemy  is  out  of  their  sight  they  re- 
turn quietly  to  their  nests. 

Their  bite  is  exceedingly  painful,  and  they  leave  in  the  wound 


SERPENTS. 


349 


an  acrid  poison,  which  pains  for  two  or  three  days.  At  intervals 
of  an  hour  the  poison  seems  to  gather  fresh  force,  the  wound  be- 
gins to  throb,  and  for  a  little  while  is  excessively  painful.  The 
natives  fear  these  eloways  very  much,  and  retreat  with  all  expe- 
dition when  they  have  accidentally  disturbed  a  nest.  When  they 
see  a  nest,  also,  they  always  paddle  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream.  Going  nearly  naked,  they  are  very  much  exposed  to  its 
attacks ;  and  its  motions  are  so  very  quick  that  even  a  speedy 
tumble  overboard  does  not  generally  save  them  from  one  or  two 
bites. 

Of  snakes  all  this  back  country  has  a  great  abundance.  A  few 
are  harmless ;  some  of  the  large  species  attack  the  larger  beasts 
and  crush  them  in  their  folds ;  or,  if  smaller,  they  have  poison 
fangs.  It  is  curious  that  the  negroes  have  no  vegetable  or  other 
remedy  for  a  snake-bite;  but  they  are  not  often  bitten.  The 
snakes  are  easily  alarmed,  and  the  noise  of  an  approaching  hunt- 
er scares  them  out  of  his  path?  Sometimes  they  hang  from  the 
limbs  of  trees,  waiting,  probably,  for  prey  to  pass  beneath,  and 
several  times  such  a  pendent  animal  has  given  me  a  fright  by 
falling  down  beside  me  as  I  stood  under  a  tree.  But  they  never 
attack  man,  so  far  as  I  have  seen.  I  saw  and  killed  on  several 
occasions  boas  measuring  from  20  to  25  feet ;  but  the  largest  I 
ever  saw  had  been  killed  by  a  party  of  natives,  and  was  just  skin- 
ned as  I  came  up.  This  was  on  the  Eembo.  The  skin  meas- 
ured a  little  over  33  feet  in  length. 

■  The  smaller  snakes  feed  on  birds,  and  squirrels,  and  rats,  which 
I  am  convinced,  from  frequent  observation,  they  are  able  to  charm 
with  their  look.  This  power  of  charming  I  had  always  doubted, 
but  was  convinced  by  one  day  watching  a  venomous  black  snake, 
over  four  feet  long,  subduing  and  catching  a  squirrel  which  sat 
on  the  lower  branch  of  a  tree.  It  was  back  of  Obindji's  town. 
I  had  gone  out  to  shoot  birds,  and  my  attention  was  attracted  by 
the  very  peculiar  and  continued  chattering  of  a  squirrel.  When 
I  saw  it  I  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  its  movements.  It 
seemed  as  though  tied  to  its  branch  and  very  anxious  to  get 
away.  Its  head  was  thrust  forward,  its  eyes  fixed  and  glaring : 
but  its  body  trembled,  and  was  jerked  about  from  side  to  side. 
All  the  time  it  was  screaming  and  chattering  in  a  really  pitiable 
manner.  Following  the  direction  of  its  glance  I  saw  the  cause 
of  its  alarm.    The  black  snake  was  slowly  creeping  out  on  the 


350 


FEVER. 


limb,  and  as  steadily  kept  his  eyes  on  Lis  victim.  The  whole 
curious  process  went  on  under  my  inspection  for  at  least  ten  or 
twelve  minutes,  during  all  which  time  the  snake  seemed  to  fix  the 
gaze  of  the  squirrel  upon  itself.  The  squirrel  came  nearer  and 
nearer,  until  it  reached  the  mouth  of  the  snake,  which  made  a 
spring,  grasped  its  prey  in  its  mouth,  and  quickly  coiled  its  folds 
about  it. 

I  have  seen  many  such  cases  of  charming,  both  of  birds  and 
squirrels ;  and  sometimes  firing  my  gun  dissolved  the  charm,  by 
diverting  momentarily  the  gaze  of  the  snake. 

Though  snakes  are  dangerous  animals,  their  presence  is  a  great 
blessing  to  the  country.  They  destroy  great  numbers  of  rate 
and  mice,  and  other  of  the  smaller  quadrupeds  which  injure  the 
native  provisions;  and  it  is  but  just  to  say,  that  while  they  some- 
times frequent  houses,  and  are  fond  of  creeping  over  the  roofs  or 
along  the  hollow  bamboos  of  the  sides  of  the  native  huts,  they 
are  peacefully  inclined,  and  nevef*"attack  man  unless  trodden  on. 
They  are  glad  enough  to  get  out  of  the  way ;  and  the  most  fear- 
ed snake  I  saw  in  Africa  (the  Echidna  nasicornis)  was  one  which 
is  very  slow  in  its  movements,  from  which  cause  it  happens  that  ir 
oftener  bites  people  than  others,  being  unable  to  get  out  of  the 
way  quickly.  Though  serpents  abound  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, I  have  traveled  a  month  at  a  time  without  seeing  one. 

The  country  near  the  river,  though  hilly,  is  not  entirely  healthy 
for  whites.  I  have  had  several  attacks  of  fever,  owing  to  the  re- 
tiring water  leaving  the  muddy  soil  bare  and  damp,  but  all  were 
slight ;  and  I  suppose  if  a  man  came  up  here  and  lived  carefully 
he  would  be  quite  safe.  I  sleep  often  in  the  forest,  and  am  forced 
to  be  as  reckless  of  health  as  a  man  can  be ;  and  I  do  not  expect 
to  escape  fever  if  there  is  any  in  the  country.  The  natives  are 
generally  tolerably  healthy.  I  have  seen  cases  of  what  I  judge 
to  be  leprosy,  but  they  have  little  fever  among  them,  or  other 
dangerous  diseases. 

Gambo  and  I  have  been  hunting  for  a  week  after  another  go- 
rilla. The  natives  said  that  a  monstrous  animal  had  been  several 
times  seen  in  the  forest  some  ten  miles  to  the"  east,  and  it  was 
just  such  a  one  I  needed  to  make  my  series  complete.  There- 
fore I  determined  to  get  him.  On  June.  10th  we  were  at  last 
lucky  enough  to  find  him.  TTe  had  been  on  the  hunt  for  sever- 
al hours,  when  we  came  upon  tolerably  fresh  tracks  of  an  animal 


A  LARGE  GORILLA  KILLED. 


351 


which  I  saw  must  be  a  very  large  one.  These  tracks  we  follow- 
ed cautiously,  and  at  last,  in  a  densely  wooded  and  quite  dark  ra- 
vine we  came  suddenly  upon  the  beast.  There  were  two  gorillas, 
a  male  and  female.  Owing  to  the  dense  jungle,  in  a  nook  of 
which  they  were  concealed,  they  saw  us  first.  The  female  utter- 
ed a  cry  of  alarm,  and  ran  off  before  we  could  get  a  shot  at  her, 
being  lost  to  sight  in  a  moment  in  the  bush.  The  male,  howev- 
er, whom  I  particularly  wanted,  had  no  idea  of  running  off.  He 
rose  slowly  from  his  haunches  and  at  once  faced  us,  uttering  a 
roar  of  rage  at  our  evidently  untimely  intrusion.  Gambo  and  I 
were  accompanied  only  by  a  single  hunter  and  an  Ashira  boy, 
who  bore  an  extra  gun.  The  boy  fell  back,  and  we  stood  side 
by  side  and  awaited  the  advance  of  the  hideous  monster.  In  the 
dim  half  light  of  the  ravine,  his  features  working  with  rage,  his 
gloomy,  treacherous,  mischievous  gray  eyes,  his  rapidly-agitated, 
and  frightful,  satyr-like  features  had  a  horrid  look,  enough  to 
make  one  fancy  him  really  a  spirit  of  the  damned. 

He  advanced  upon  us  by  starts,  as  is  their  fashion,  pausing  to 
beat  his  fists  upon  his  vast  breast,  which  gave  out  a  dull,  hollow 
sound  like  some  great  bass-drum  with  a  skin  of  ox-hide.  Then 
he  roared,  making  the  forest  ring  with  his  short  bark  and  the  re- 
frain, which  is  singularly  like  the  loud  muttering  of  thunder. 

We  stood  at  our  posts  for  at  least  three  long  minutes,  guns  in 
hand,  before  the  great  beast  was  near  enough  for  a  safe  shot.  In 
this  time  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  misfortune  of  my  poor 
hunter  but  a  few  days  ago ;  and,  as  I  looked  at  the  gorilla  before 
us,  I  could  fancy  the  horror  of  the  situation  when,  with  empty 
gun,  the  poor  fellow  stood  before  his  remorseless  enemy,  who 
came  upon  him,  not  with  a  sudden  spring  like  the  leopard,  but 
with  a  slow,  vindictive  certainty  which  is  like  fate. 

At  last  he  stood  before  us  at  a  distance  of  six  yards.  Once 
more  he  paused,  and,  raising  his  head,  began  to  roar  and  beat  his 
breast.  Just  as  he  took  another  step  toward  us  we  fired,  and 
down  he  tumbled,  almost  at  our  feet,  upon  his  face,  dead. 

I  saw  at  once  that  we  had  the  very  animal  I  wanted.  It  is 
the  oldest  of  all  my  collection,  and  very  near  the  largest  I  ever 
saw.  Gambo,  who,  though  a  young  man,  was  still  an  old  hunter, 
said  a  few  were  larger,  but  not  many.  It  height  was  five  feet 
nine  inches.  Its  arms  spread  nine  feet.  Its  chest  had  a  circum- 
fei  'ence  of  sixty-two  inches.    The  hands,  those  terrible  claw-like 


352 


THE  FAUNA  OF  THE  REMBO  REGION. 


weapons,  with  one  blow  of  which  it  tears  out  the  bowels  of  a  man 
or  breaks  his  arms,  were  of  immense  muscular  power,  and  bent 
like  veritable  claws.  I  could  see  how  frightful  a  blow  could  be 
struck  with  such  a  hand,  moved  by  such  an  arm,  all  swollen  into 
great  bunches  of  muscular  fibre,  as  this  animal  possessed.  The 
big  toe  was  no  less  than  six  inches  in  circumference. 

As  we  brought  it  into  the  olako,  three  womenj  who  were  preg- 
nant, hastened  out  at  the  other  end  with  their  husbands,  and 
nothing  could  induce  them  to  return  till  the  skin  was  dried  and 
put  away.  They  could  not  be  convinced  but  that,  if  even  the 
husband  saw  the  beast,  the  wife  would  bear  a  young  gorilla. 

The  people  were  very  glad  of  the  meat;  and  I  was  wishing  I 
could  eat  it  as  they  do — for  I  had  no  meat,  and  felt  gouamba  a 
little — when  old  Querlaouen  sent  me  half  a  bush-deer  he  had  kill- 
ed, which  placed  me  beyond  need  for  the  present. 

On  the  13th  of  July  we  started  for  Obindji's  town,  on  my  re- 
turn. Going  down  the  Ofoubou,  a  canoe  of  Bakalai,  strange  to 
the  river,  were  a  little  before  us.  Suddenly  we  saw  them  stop 
paddling  and  pitch  headlong  out  of  the  canoe.  My  men  said 
they  had  disturbed  a  nest  of  eloway,  which  we  found  afterward  to 
be  the  truth.  Our  canoe  was  immediately  shot  up  stream  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  and  we  waited  an  hour  before  the  crew  would 
venture  past  the  dreaded  eloway's  nest ;  such  is  their  fear  of  this 
revengeful  little  fly.  Even  then  they  were  very  careful  to  pad- 
dle quite  over  to  the  farther  bank  of  the  river. 

The  Rembo  has  lost  a  good  deal  of  its  waters  since  I  was  here 
on  my  way  up.  It  has  fallen  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet,  but  is 
yet  deep  enough  for  navigation.  The  numerous  aquatic  birds 
and  waders  which  come  in  with  the  dry  season  now  give  the 
river  a  lively,  pleasant  air.  The  white  sand  which  lines  the 
shores  is  clean  and  bright,  and  with  the  cool  mornings,  which  are 
sometimes  foggy,  and  the  bright  green  of  the  well- wooded  banks, 
the  traveler  has  a  charming  scene  before  him.  The  stream  is 
still  yellow,  but  is  much  clearer  than  it  was  a  month  ago.  Then 
the  rains  were  driving  down  a  turbulent  tide,  laden  with  mud: 
now  the  clear  waters  roll  on  placidly,  as  though  all  was  peace  and 
civilization  at  their  borders. 

The  country  about  here  is  probably  the  richest  field  for  an  en- 
terprising naturalist  now  remaining  in  the  world.  Equatorial 
Africa  seems  to  have  a  fauna  of  its  own.    The  lion,  common 


THE  BONGO. 


353 


to  both  North  and  South  Africa,  is  not  found  here  at  all.  Nei- 
ther are  the  zebra,  gnu,  giraffe,  rhinoceros,  or  ostrich,  so  common 
in  other  parts  of  the  continent,  known  here.  There  are  no  tame 
cattle,  no  horses,  no  donkeys ;  in  fact,  the  only  domesticated  ani- 
mals are  goats  and  fowls.  I  do  not  think  the  Bos  brachicheros,  the 
wild  bull  of  this  country,  could  be  tamed.  It  is  found  here,  but 
not  in  such  herds  as  roam  on  the  Cape  Lopez  prairies.  Several 
kinds  of  deer  offer  sport  to  the  hunter-naturalist ;  and  I  shot  sev- 
eral specimens  of  a  very  beautiful  antelope  hitherto  unknown. 
This  animal,  of  which  I  am  enabled  to  give  an  excellent  repre- 
sentation, drawn  from  a  well-preserved  specimen  in  my  collection, 
is  rare,  and  very  shy ;  swift  of  foot,  as  are  all  its  kind,  and  ex- 


354 


RETURN  TO  BIAGANO. 


ceedingly  graceful  in  its  motions,  though  more  heavily  built  than 
most  of  the  antelope  kind.  Among  the  carnivora,  the  leopard 
takes  the  first  rank.  It  is  a  very  large  and  majestic  animal  here. 
I  have  killed  several  over  five  feet  long.  There  is  also  a  hyena, 
whose  raids  among  the  goats  are  often  troublesome;  and  several 
varieties  of  tiger-cats,  of  which  the  Genetta  aubryana  and  Fieldi- 
ana  are  of  the  finest  species  yet  known.  The  crocodile  is  found  in 
the  swamps  and  lagoons  which  border  the  Eembo ;  the  iguana  is 
found  in  the  woods ;  while  of  monkeys  there  were  a  dozen  new 
varieties ;  of  squirrels  upward  of  half  a  dozen ;  and  of  rats  sever- 
al, the  chief  of  which  was  fifteen  inches  long.  Most  of  these  are 
peculiar  to  this  part  of  the  continent,  and  are  unknown  to  the 
north  and  south.  * 

Among  the  most  peculiar  of  the  monkeys  is  the  little  oshingui, 
one  of  the  smallest  of  the  monkey  tribe.  It  is  a  frolicsome  and 
innocent  little  animal,  and  remarkable  for  its  fondness  for  the  wa- 
ter ;  so  that  where  you  meet  one  of  them  hopping  about  the 
branches  overhead,  you  may  be  sure  water  is  not  far  off.  They 
always  sleep  on  some  tree  whose  branches  overhang  a  water- 
course. This  little  monkey  is  also  a  great  favorite  with  the  mon- 
key-birds (Buceros  albocrystatus),  whom  I  often  saw  playing  with  it. 

Of  birds,  the  most  remarkable  which  I  shot  in  this  region  was 
the  "  nchalitoguay"  —  so  called  by  the  negroes.  It  resembles 
somewhat  the  Asiatic  bird  of  Paradise,  and  is  one  of  the  mqst 
graceful  and  lovely  birds  I  ever  saw.  Its  back,  tail-cover,  and 
very  long  flowing  tail  are  pure  milk-white ;  its  crested  head  and 
breast  are  greenish-black,  and  abdomen  an  ashy-brown.  The 
white  feathers  of  the  back  seem  to  form  a  fine  mantle,  and  give 
the  bird  a  very  singular  appearance.  This  little  bird  has  been 
named  after  myself,  the  Muscipeta  du  Chaillui. 

At  last,  on  the  2d  of  August,  I  began  to  make  preparations  for 
a  return  to  Biagano.  It  was  high  time.  I  was  still  suffering 
from  fever  attacks,  and  had  not  quinine  enough  left  for  one  large 
dose,  which  might  have  put  a  stop  to  it.  Arsenic  I  did  not  like 
to  take  much  of.  As  a  febrifuge,  it  must  be  carefully  used,  and 
not  very  often,  or  it  leaves  its  effects  on  the  system. 

Not  only  was  I  sick,  but  also  poor  and  ragged.  My  clothes 
were  torn  and  patched,  and  I  looked,  in  reality,  very  little  better 
or  more  civilized  than  my  negro  friends.  Food  was  scarce  ;  and 
though  my  friends  and  hunters,  Querlaouen,  Obindji,  and  other? 


THE  SUPERSTITION  OF  ROONDAH. 


355 


gave  me  what  they  had,  it  was  robbing  them,  I  felt ;  and  even 
then  I  did  not  get  such  food  as  I  began  to  need.  My  goods,  too, 
were  all  gone,  so  that  even  if  I  had  been  well  I  could  not  have 
gone  farther  into  the  interior.  But  the  numerous  hardships  of 
this  long  trip,  the  sleeping  night  after  night  in  wet  clothes,  the 
tramping  through  rain  and  hot  sun,  the  sufferings  from  the  intol- 
erable gouamba,  and  the  yet  less  tolerable  total  starvation — all 
these  had  done  their  work  upon  me,  and  I  began  to  feel  like  tak- 
ing a  long  rest.    So  I  told  Quengueza  we  must  go. 

Obindji  was  very  sorry.  I  believe  he  and  many  of  the  others, 
particularly  Querlaouen  and  his  fellow-hunters,  had  conceived  a 
real  affection  for  me.  They  gave  me  of  their  poor  store  without 
ever  asking  for  a  return,  and  took  all  pains  to  please  me  and 
make  me  comfortable,  even  when  they  saw  that  my  goods  were 
getting  very  low.  And  I  must  own  that  I  had  a  kind  of  affection 
for  a  country  where,  in  the  discovery  of  new  and  strange  animals, 
I  had  enjoyed  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  possible  to  man.  The 
rough  life  was  forgotten  when  I  looked  at  my  precious  collec- 
tions ;  and  the  thought  of  a  gorilla  even  now  enabled  me  to  shake 
off  the  fever. 

I  need  not  say  that  the  faithfulness  of  the  poor  natives  touched 
me  nearly.  Not  one  but  had  treated  me  as  though  I  was  his  own 
brother ;  and  I  should  have  been  a  brute  had  I  not  heartily  re- 
turned all  their  affection. 

My  little  boys,  Makondai  and  Monguilomba,  who  had  acted  so 
bravely  during  all  these  months,  were  overjoyed  when  they  saw 
my  preparations  for  returning  to  the  sea-shore.  Quengueza,  too, 
was  tired  of  bush-life,  as  he  called  it — calling  these  Bakalai  his 
bush-men.  He  is  to  go  down  to  Biagano  with  me,  where  I  can 
reward  him  for  all  his  kindness  and  faithfulness  to  me.  He  had 
done  royally  for  me  in  every  thing.  Every  fowl  or  goat  he  got 
as  present  up  here  he  gave  me,  I,  in  return,  hunting  for  him. 
We  always  ate  together  at  a  table  which  I  had  made,  and  which 
was  covered,  when  we  were  in  town,  always  with  a  clean  white 
cloth.  I  was  anxious  to  show  these  people  the  difference  between 
civilized  and  savage  life,  and  this  was  one  of  the  points  most  apt 
to  strike  them ;  for,  like  all  rude  people  and  little  children,  they 
are  very  observant  in  small  things. 

This  day  I  had  a  glimpse  at  another  curious  superstition  of 
these  people.    One  of  the  hunters  had  shot  a  wild  bull,  and  when 


356 


PARTING  GIFTS. 


the  carcass  was  brought  in  the  good  fellow  sent  me  an  abundant 
supply  of  the  best  portions.  The  meat  is  tough,  but  was  most 
welcome  for  a  change.  I  had  a  great  piece  boiled  for  dinner,  and 
expected  Quengueza  to  eat  as  much  as  would  make  several  hun- 
gry white  men  sick.  Judge  of  my  surprise,  when,  coming  to  the 
table  and  seeing  only  the  meat,  he  refused  to  touch  it. 
I  asked  why  ? 

"It  is  roondah  for  me,"  he  replied.  And  then,  in  answer  to 
my  question,  explained  that  the  meat  of  the  bos  brachicheros  was 
forbidden  'to  his  family,  and  was  an  abomination  to  them,  for  the 
reason  that  many  generations  ago  one  of  their  women  gave  birth 
to  a  calf  instead  of  a  child. 

I  laughed;  but  the  king  replied  very  soberly  that  he  could 
show  me  a  woman  of  another  family  whose  grandmother  had 
given  birth  to  a  crocodile — for  which  reason  the  crocodile  was 
roondah  to  that  family. 

Quengueza  would  never  touch  my  salt  beef,  nor  even  the  pork, 
fearing  lest  it  had  been  in  contact  with  the  beef.  Indeed  they 
are  all  religiously  scrupulous  in  this  matter ;  and  I  found,  on  in- 
quiry afterward,  that  scarce  a  man  can  be  found  to  whom  some 
article  of  food  is  not  "  roondah."  Some  dare  not  taste  croco- 
dile, some  hippopotamus,  some  monkey,  some  boa,  some  wild 
pig,  and  all  from  this  same  belief.  They  will  literally  suffer  the 
pangs  of  starvation  rather  than  break  through  this  prejudice ;  and 
they  very  firmly  believe  that  if  one  of  a  family  should  eat  of  such 
forbidden  food,  the  women  of  the  same  family  would  surely  mis- 
carry and  give  birth  to  monstrosities  in  the  shape  of  the  animal 
which  is  roondah,  or  else  die  of  an  awful  disease. 

Sometimes  I  find  that  the  fetich-man  forbids  an  individual  to 
touch  certain  kinds  of  food  for  some  reason,  or  no  reason  rather. 
In  this  case  the  prohibition  extends  only  to  the  man,  and  not  to 
his  family. 

It  is  astonishing  how  strictly  such  gross  feeders  as  they  are. 
adhere  to  their  scruples.  It  shows  the  power  a  superstitious  faith 
has  even  over  a  lawless  people  as  these  are.  I  am  certain  noth- 
ing in  the  world  would  have  induced  the  old  king  to  eat  the  flesh 
of  the  wild  bull,  or  even  to  eat  out  of  a  dish  in  which  that  had 
been  cooked  or  otherwise  contained. 

As  we  were  preparing  to  go,  my  Bakalai  friends  came  in  with 
presents  of  provisions.    Baskets  of  cassava,  smoked  boar  hams, 


GOOD-BY  TO  QUEKLAOUEN. 


357 


sweet  potatoes,  and  manioc  are  brought  as  free-will  offerings,  for 
they  know  I  have  little  to  give  in  return. 

At  last,  on  the  evening  of  the  6th,  I  gave  Obindji  a  present  I 
had  reserved  for  him,  and  which  he  well  deserved,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  we  started  in  the  canoes  for  Goumbi.  All  the  chief 
people  came  to  the  shore  to  shake  hands  and  say  good-by.  All 
said  I  must  come  again  and  bring  trade.  Also,  they  said,  I  had 
spoken  to  them  of  white  men  coming  to  teach  poor  black  people ; 
and  they  would  like  to  have  some  such  teachers.  They  all  had 
a  look  of  regret  at  our  parting,  and  nearly  every  one  came  with 
some  little  parting  gift.  I  was  very  much  touched  myself  at  their 
simple  affectionate  ways. 

When  all  was  ready  for  a  start  Makondai  fired  a  gun,  and  then 
I  swung  out  the  American  flag  to  the  breeze,  the  first  time  that  it 
or  any  other  flag  of  a  civilized  nation  had  floated  over  these  wa- 
ters.   The  people  shouted,  and  we*  were  off. 

Presently,  several  miles  down  stream,  we  passed  Querlaouen's 
plantation.  He  and  his  kind  old  wife  and  their  children  stood 
on  the  shore  and  beckoned  me  to  stop.  We  paddled  in,  and  the 
good  fellow  silently  put  into  my  boat  another  smoked  boar  ham, 
while  his  wife  gave  me  a  great  basket  of  sweet  potatoes.  As  we 
started  away  again  the  wife  shouted,  "When  you  come  back 
bring  me  some  beads."  The  children  cried  out,  "  When  you 
come  back  bring  ustsome  cloth."  But  old  Querlaouen  stood  still 
and  silent  like  a  black  statue,  until,  by  a  turn  of  the  river,  he  was 
lost  to  our  sight. 

On  the  next  day  we  made  a  triumphant  entry  into  Goumbi, 
where  we  remained  two  days  to  lay  in  provisions. 

From  Goumbi  to  Biagano  our  voyage  was  a  triumphal  pro- 
cession. Quengueza  accompafiied  me  to  show  to  Eanpano  that 
he  brought  me  back  safe ;  and  all  of  Goumbi  that  had  canoes  ac- 
companied Quengueza  for  fun's  sake,  beating  tam-tams,  singing 
songs,  and  firing  guns. 

At  last,  on  the  13th  of  August,  I  got  back  to  Biagano,  where 
the  whole  population  *turned  out  to  receive  me,  headed  by  Ean- 
pano and  old  Binkimongami,  my  housekeeper.  I  found  my  house 
undisturbed,  and  my  live  stock  on  hand  and  in  good  condition, 
and  made  old  Binkimongami  very  proud  by  expressing  my  satis- 
faction. He  said,  "Now  you  tell  me  what  I  stole?"  And  Ean- 
pano exclaimed,  "  Ah !  we  don't  steal  from  our  white  man." 


358 


SICKNESS.— RETURN  TO  THE  GABOON. 


And  now  came  the  time  when  I  was  to  pay  for  my  long  tour. 
It  is  quite  usual  for  natives  of  the  interior  coming  to  the  sea- 
shore to  be  seized  with  fever.  It  is  a  great  change,  and  I  expect- 
ed to  be  affected  by  it  in  some  measure.  Kor  were  my  expecta- 
tions ungrounded.  Day  after  day  my  fever  attacks  grew  worse, 
until,  having  no  proper  medicines,  and  living  necessarily  here 
without  many  of  the  comforts  a  sick  man  needs,  I  was  quite  pros- 
trated. Then,  luckily,  one  day  came  by  a  vessel.  Some  of  my 
men  boarded  her  with  a  note  to  the  captain.  He  was  going  to 
the  Gaboon,  and  I  gladly  accompanied  him.  There,  under  the 
kind  care  of  my  missionary  friends,  I  managed,  in  a  short  time,  to 
recover  my  health  sufficiently  to  think  of  another  trip,  in  which  I 
hoped  to  make  a  thorough  geographical  exploration  of  the  farther 
interior. 


THE  BASHIKOUAY. 


359 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Ants  of  Equatorial  Africa. — The  Bashikouay. — The  red  Ant. — The  Nchelle- 
lay. — The  little  Ant. — The  red  Leaf-ant.— The  nest-building  Ant. 

In  the  forests  of  this  part  of  Africa  are  found  vast  numbers  of 
ants,  some  of  whose  tribes  are  so  terrible  to  man,  and  even  to  the 
beasts  of  the  wood,  from  their  venomous  bites,  their  fierce  tem- 
per and  voracity,  that  their  path  is  freely  abandoned  to  them,  and 
they  may  well  be  called  lords  of  the  forest. 

I  know  of  ten  different  species  of  ants  found  in  these  regions, 
all  differing  widely  in  their  choice  of  food,  the  quality  of  their 
venom,  the  manner  of  their  attack,  or  the  time  of  their  operation. 
The  most  remarkable  and  most  dreaded  of  all  is  the  bashikouay. 


THE  BASHIKOUAY  ANT,  MAGNIFIED  TO  TWICE  ITS  NATUB.AL  SIZE. 

This  ant,  also  called  nchounou  by  the  Mpongwe,  is  very  abund- 
ant in  the  whole  region  I  have  traveled  over  in  Africa,  and  is  the 
most  voracious  creature  I  ever  met.  It  is  the  dread  of  all  living 
animals  from  the  leopard  to  the  smallest  insect. 

I  do  not  think  that  they  build  a  nest  or  home  of  any  kind. 
At  any  rate  they  carry  nothing  away,  but  eat  all  their  prey  on 
the  spot.  It  is  their  habit  to  march  through  the  forests  in  a  long 
regular  line — a  line  about  two  inches  broad  and  often  several 
miles  in  length.  All  along  this  line  are  larger  ants,  who  act  as 
officers,  stand  outside  the  ranks,  and  keep  this  singular  army  in 


360 


FEROCITY  OF  THE  BASHIKOUAY. 


order.  If  they  come  to  a  place  where  there  are  no  trees  to  shel- 
ter them  from  the  sun,  whose  heat  they  can  not  bear,  they  im- 
mediately build  underground  tunnels,  through  which  the  whole 
army  passes  in  columns  to  the  forest  beyond.  These  tunnels  are 
four  or  five  feet  underground,  and  are  used  only  in  the  heat  of 
the  day  or  during  a  storm. 

When  they  get  hungry  the  long  file  spreads  itself  through  the 
forest  in  a  front  line,  and  attacks  and  devours  all  it  comes  to  with 
a  fury  which  is  quite  irresistible.  The  elephant  and  gorilla  fly 
before  this  attack.  The  black  men  run  for  their  lives.  Every 
animal  that  lives  in  their  line  of  march  is  chased.  They  seem  to 
understand  and  act  upon  the  tactics  of  Napoleon,  and  concentrate, 
with  great  speed,  their  heaviest  forces  upon  the  point  of  attack. 
In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  mouse,  or  dog,  or  leop- 
ard, or  deer  is  overwhelmed,  killed,  eaten,  and  the  bare  skeleton 
only  remains. 

They  seem  to  travel  night  and  day.  Many  a  time  have  I  been 
awakened  out  of  a  sleep,  and  obliged  to  rush  from  the  hut  and 
into  the  water  to  save  my  life,  and  after  all  suffered  intolerable 
agony  from  the  bites  of  the  advance-guard,  who  had  got  into  my 
clothes.  When  they  enter  a  house  they  clear  it  of  all  living 
things.  Roaches  are  devoured  in  an  instant.  Eats  and  mice 
spring  round  the  room  in  vain.  An  overwhelming  force  of  ants 
kills  a  strong  rat  in  less  than  a  minute,  in  spite  of  the  most  fran- 
tic struggles,  and  in  less  than  another  minute  its  bones  are  strip- 
ped. Every  living  thing  in  the  house  is  devoured.  They  will  not 
touch  vegetable  matter.  Thus  they  are  in  reality  very  useful  (as 
well  as  dangerous)  to  the  negroes,  who  have  their  huts  cleaned  of 
all  the  abounding  vermin,  such  as  immense  roaches  and  centi- 
pedes, at  least  several  times  a  year. 

When  on  their  march  the  insect  world  flies  before  them,  and  I 
have  often  had  the  approach  of  a  bashikouay  army  heralded  to 
me  by  this  means.  Wherever  they  go  they  make  a  clean  sweep, 
even  ascending  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees  in  pursuit  of  their 
prey.  Their  manner  of  attack  is  an  impetuous  leap.  Instantly 
the  strong  pincers  are  fastened,  and  they  only  let  go  when  the 
piece  gives  way.  At  such  times  this  little  animal  seems  animated 
by  a  kind  of  fury  which  causes  it  to  disregard  entirely  its  own 
safety,  and  to  seek  only  the  conquest  of  its  prey.  The  bite  is 
very  painful. 


THE  GRAY  BASHIKOUAY. 


361 


The  negroes  relate  that  criminals  were  in  former  times  exposed 
in  the  path  of  the  bashikouay  ants,  as  the  most  cruel  manner  of 
putting  to  death. 

Two  very  remarkable  practices  of  theirs  remain  to  be  related. 
When,  on  their  line  of  march,  they  must  cross  a  stream,  they 
throw  themselves  across  and  form  a  tunnel — a  living  tunnel — 
connecting  two  trees  or  high  bushes  on  opposite  sides  of  the  little 
stream.  This  is  done  with  great  speed,  and  is  effected  by  a  great 
number  of  ants,  each  of  which  clings  with  its  fore  claws  to  its 
next  neighbor's  body  or  hind  claws.  Thus  they  form  a  high,  safe 
tubular  bridge,  through  which  the  whole  vast  regiment  marches 
in  regular  order.  If  disturbed,  or  if  the  arch  is  broken  by  the 
violence  of  some  animal,  they  instantly  attack  the  offender  with 
the  greatest  animosity. 

The  bashikouay  have  the  sense  of  smell  finely  developed,  as 
indeed  have  all  the  ants  I  know  of,  and  they  are  guided  very 
much  by  it.  They  are  larger  than  any  ant  we  have  in  America, 
being  at  least  half  an  inch  long,  and  are  armed  with  very  power- 
ful fore  legs  and  sharp  jaws,  with  which  they  bite.  They  are  red 
or  dark-brown  in  color.  Their  numbers  are  so  great  that  one 
does  not  like  to  enter  into  calculations ;  but  I  have  seen  one  con- 
tinual line  passing  at  good  speed  a  particular  place  for  twelve 
hours.  The  reader  may  imagine  for  himself  how  many  millions 
on  millions  there  may  have  been  contained  here. 

There  is  another  species  of  bashikouay  which  is  found  in  the 
mountains  to  the  south  of  the  equator.  It  is  of  great  size.  The 
body  is  grayish-white  in  color ;  the  head  of  a  reddish-black.  Its 
fangs  are  very  powerful,  and  it  is  able  to  make  a  clean  bite  out  of 
a  piece  of  flesh.  It  is  thus  a  very  formidable  animal ;  but  fortu- 
nately its  motions  are  not  so  quick  as  those  of  its  fierce  brother ; 
it  does  not  march  in  such  vast  armies,  nor  does  it  precipitate  it- 
self upon  its  prey  with  such  irresistible  fury.  In  its  motions  it  is 
almost  sluggish.  They  do  not  invade  villages,  nor  climb  trees  in 
pursuit  of  prey ;  and  I  do  not  think  them  nearly  so  voracious  as 
their  fellows  before-mentioned.  If  they  were,  they  could  doubt- 
less clear  the  country  of  every  living  thing,  for  they  are  much 
more  powerful.  They  are,  in  fact,  to  ants  what  whales  are  to 
fishes. 

Next  to  the  bashikouay  come  the  nchellelay,  or  white  ants. 
These  troublesome  animals  do  not  bite  or  attack  living  things  at 


362 


THE  NCHELLELAY. 


all.  They  live  on  vegetable  substances,  and  are  particularly  fond 
of  cotton  cloth,  paper,  and  old  wood.  They  have  a  great  aversion 
to  daylight,  and  use  all  means  possible  to  avoid  it.  To  reach  an 
object  which  is  situated  in  the  light  they  build  a  clay  tunnel, 
through  which  they  pass  in  safety.  The  clay  seems  to  be  moist- 
ened with  some  juices  of  their  own,  and  becomes  quite  firm  on 
exposure  to  the  air.  Their  nests,  which  are  curiously  shaped, 
with  overhanging  flat  roofs  (exactly  like  a  toad-stool),  are  con- 
structed in  the  same  manner,  and  are  built  up  from  within,  the  un- 
derground excavations  doubtless  furnishing  clay  for  this  purpose. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  any  thing  safe  from  these  de- 
stroyers. They  work  in  silence,  unseen,  and  with  wonderful  ra- 
pidity. One  night's  negligence  suffices  to  spoil  a  box  of  clothing 
or  books.  They  seem  to  be  attracted  by  smell  rather  than  sight 
to  their  prey.  They  are  always  near ;  and  they  cut  through  any 
— the  hardest — wood,  in  order  to  reach  the  object  of  their  desires. 
I  have  noticed  that  they  always  cut  through  the  middle  of  a  piece 
of  cloth  first,  as  though  they  were  trying  to  do  as  much  mischief 
as  possible.  Such  is  their  perseverance  and  destructiveness,  that 
I  think  one  of  the  greatest  boons  to  this  part  of  Africa  would  be 
to  rid  it  of  this  pest. 

The  earth  of  which  they  build  their  houses  becomes  so  hard, 
after  it  has  been  mixed  with  their  saliva,  that  it  stands  the  hard- 
est and  longest  rain-storms  without  melting  or  breaking  away, 
and  they  last  many  rainy  seasons.  They  leave  no  opening  in 
their  house  for  air  or  light,  both  which  they  seem  to  have  a  par- 
ticular aversion  for.  And  thus,  too,  they  are  protected  from  oth- 
er ants  who  are  their  enemies,  and  against  whom,  being  unarmed, 
they  would  find  it  difficult  to  defend  themselves. 

Among  these  enemies  the  chief  is  the  bashikouay  ant,  which 
pursues  the  white  ant  with  great  fury.  I  have  sometimes,  when 
I  noticed  some  of  these  white-ant-hills  in  the  track  of  an  army  of 
bashikouay,  knocked  away  the  top.  No  sooner  was  this  done 
than  the  bashikouay  rushed  to  their  work,  and  in  a  short  time 
not  a  white  ant  was  left. 

When  the  house  is  only  slightly  injured,  the  working-ants  are 
called,  and  immediately  set  to  work  to  mend  the  hole,  using  clay 
brought  from  the  interior. 

These  ants,  though  called  white,  are  really  of  a  straw  color. 
They  emit  a  strong  smell,  especially  if  crushed. 


THE  RED  LEAF-ANT. 


363 


The  Little  Ant. 

This  is  a  minute  house-ant,  found  in  myriads  in  every  African 
village  in  this  region,  and  a  great  plague ;  for  the  least  carelessness 
with  food  on  your  part  will  bring  them  on  you,  and  ruin  every 
thing  you  have  eatable  to  which  they  can  gain  access.  In  an  Af- 
rican's house  all  food  is  suspended  from  the  ceiling  by  cords 
which  are  limed  {tarred  on  the  coast)  to  make  the  ants'  passage 
impossible.  But  even  then  they  sometimes  drop  doivn  on  their 
prey.  Tables  are  set  in  cups  of  water  on  the  coast  to  keep  off 
these  troublesome  visitors.  I  was  unfortunate  enough  once  to 
leave  my  sugar-bowl  out  in  their  reach.  I  returned  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  for  it,  and  then  already  it  was  covered,  inside  and 
out,  with  countless  thousands  of  these  little  scavengers.  The 
whole  bowl,  inside  and  out,  was  one  living,  heaving  mass  of 
black. 

They  seem  to  have  a  very  acute  smell.  They  are  never  seen 
till  something  to  eat  is  within  their  reach,  and  then  they  come 
— where  from  I  do  not  know — in  such  vast  numbers  that  the 
traveler  is  not  only  astonished,  but  alarmed  at  such  a  besieging 
army.  .  - 

There  are  two  kinds  of  these  little  ants,  one  red  and  the  other 
black ;  but  in  other  respects,  so  far  as  I  know,  alike. 

The  Black  Ant 

lives  in  the  forests,  generally  in  rotten  trees,  and  is  not  trouble- 
some, as  it  mostly  hunts  singly,  not  in  swarms,  and  does  not  at- 
tack man  unless  it  is  first  disturbed.  When  it  does  attack,  its 
bite,  as  I  have  experienced,  is  very  sharp  and  painful;  but  the 
pain  does  not  last  long,  and  the  poison,  if  there  is  any,  is  not  very 
virulent. 

The  Bed  Leaf -ant. 

This  animal  has  a  singular  manner  of  building  its  nest.  It 
prefers  to  live  in  certain  trees,  which  very  often  are  completely 
killed  by  these  ingenious  house-builders.  They  choose  the  end 
of  a  branch  where  there  is  generally  a  thick  bunch  of  leaves. 
These  leaves  they  glue  one  to  the  other  by  their  edges  in  such  a 
way  that  they  make  a  bag  the  size  of  an  orange,  and  this  is  the 
nest.    It  is  a  very  singular  sight  to  see  a  number  of  trees  in  the 


364 


NEST-BUILDING  ANT. 


forests  with  pendants  of  this  kind  to  every  limb  and  branch ;  for 
they  will  build  all  over  a  tree,  and  so  occupy  and  abuse  it  as  very 
shortly  to  kill  it.  The  bite  of  these  ants  is  very  painful,  and 
their  temper,  as  with  most  ants  who  can  defend  themselves,  very 
vindictive.  "Woe  to  the  traveler  who  inadvertently  shakes  a  tree 
or  branch  on  which  these  fellows  have  built.  They  immediately 
fall  upon  him  in  great  numbers,  and  bite  him  without  mercy. 

There  is  a  reddish-black  ant,  of  medium  size,  which  builds  its 
nest  about  the  roots  of  certain  trees,  which  it  ascends  to  eat  the 
tender  shoots  of  the  branches.  Its  bite  is  rather  painful,  and  it 
often  kills  the  trees  on  whose  shoots  it  feeds,  and  about  whose 
roots  it  lives. 

Tlie  common  Black  Sand-ant. 

This  is,  next  to  the  bashikouay,  the  most  to  be  dreaded  of  any 
ant  I  met  in  Africa.  It  is  a  little  black  ant,  living  chiefly  in  the 
Camma  country  near  the  villages,  and  found  traveling  solitarily 
through  the  sand  of  the  prairie.  Fortunately  it  is  not  very  nu- 
merous. 

Its  bite  is  not  felt  at  the  time,  but  in  a  little  while  after  there  is 
a  very  severe  and  distressing  pain  as  though  a  scorpion  had  bit- 
ten you;  and  this  lasts,  with  intermissions,  sometimes  for  many 
hours.  After  suffering  half  a  dozen  times  from  the  bite  of  this 
little  plague,  I  came  to  dread  it  more  than  any  other  ant  or  other 
venomous  insect  of  Africa.  The  bashikouay  gives  you  warning, 
and  the  bite  is  only  painful  at  the  moment ;  but  this  Camma  ant 
attacks  singly  and  unperceived,  and  you  are  bitten  before  you 
know  it. 

A  Nest-building  Ant. 

There  is  also  a  black  ant,  which  builds  a  very  ingenious  hang- 
ing nest,  suspending  it  from  the  branches  of  trees.  This  nest  is 
generally  two  feet  long  by  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  inside  is  full  of 
galleries  and  highways,  where  work  is  done,  and  food  is  stored, 
and  eggs  are  laid,  and  the  young  are  raised.  To  make  these  nests 
safe  and  water-proof  in  the  heavy  rains  which  prevail  here,  the 
ants  construct  them  just  as  our  houses  are  roofed  or  shingled, 
with  this  difference,  that  while  the  tiers  of  leaf  which  they  use  to 
shingle  their  building  overlap  each  other,  and  thus  shed  the  wa- 
ter, they  do  not  touch  each  other — by  which  means  a  fine  system 
of  ventilation  is  kept  up  in  the  nest. 


UNDEKGEOUND  BASHIKOUAY. 


365 


Small  Underground  Bashikouay. 
This  ant  is  not  so  much  dreaded  as  the  formidable  reddish- 
black  bashikouay.  It  is  smaller,  of  a  reddish  color,  and  does  not 
live  in  the  forest,  but  in  the  villages  and  houses  among  men.  It 
does  not  appear  in  numbers  aboveground  till  it  smells  food  near. 
Then  they  issue  from  a  great  number  of  little  holes  in  the  ground, 
whose  passages  seem  all  to  communicate  with  each  other  below 
the  ground.  Its  bite,  though  not  so  terrible  as  that  of  the  bashi- 
kouay, is  still  very  painful.    It  is  not  a  roving  ant. 

The  large  Red  Ant. 
This,  though  one  of  the  largest  of  the  African  ants,  does  not  at- 
tack man.  It  is  a  night  ant,  and  is  never  seen  by  day ;  it  even 
avoids  candlelight.  This  ant  is  excessively  fond  of  cooked  meat, 
and  also  of  sugar.  It  chooses  its  habitation  in  dark  corners  and 
hidden  closets,  where  the  light  will  not  disturb  it. 


366 


THE  SEASONS. 


CHAPTER  XYIH. 

The  Seasons  and  the  Fevers  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

The  western  coast  of  Africa  has  two  seasons,  the  dry  and  the 
rainy  season.  Both  the  time  and  the  duration  of  these  seasons 
depend  on  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  place.  That  is  to 
say,  the  sun  rules  the  season ;  and  whenever  the  sun  is  in  the 
zenith  of  any  given  place,  that  spot  has  then  its  rainy  season. 
Thus,  when  the  rains  are  at  their  height  in  Senegambia,  it  is  dry 
under  the  equator. 

But  the  duration  of  the  rains  is  also  ruled  somewhat  by  the 
general  formation  of  the  country.  A  wide  open  country  or  sandy 
desert  has  less  rain  and  a  shorter  rainy  season  than  a  wooded 
tract,  and  the  mountain  ranges  have  the  most  rain  of  all.  Thus, 
on  the  mountains  in  the  interior,  it  rains  much  more  and  consid- 
erably longer  than  in  the  same  latitude  near  the  sea-shore. 

The  rainy  season  begins  in  the  interior  among  the  mountains, 
and  gradually  approaches  the  sea-shore ;  and  on  the  other  hand, 
the  dry  season  commences  on  the  sea-board  and  passes  to  the  in- 
terior. There  is  almost  a  month  of  difference  in  the  seasons  in 
these  countries,  though  situated  in  the  same  latitude,  and  only 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  apart. 

The  tract  nearest  the  equator  on  both  sides  has  the  longest 
rainy  season ;  and  as  we  approach  the  tropics  the  rains  become 
shorter  and  the  dry  season  longer. 

Near  the  equator  the  rains  begin  about  the  middle  or  end  of 
September,  and  terminate  in  the  beginning,  or  sometimes  not  till 
the  close  of  May.    The  dry  season  lasts  from  May  to  September. 

But  on  or  near  the  equator  this  long  rainy  season  is  interrupted 
by  a  short  period,  when  the  rains  cease.  This  "  little  dry  season" 
lasts  from  a  month  to  six  weeks,  and  sometimes  even  longer.  It 
occurs  in  the  middle  or  end  of  December,  lasting  into  January  or 
the  beginning  of  February.    During  this  time  it  rains  very  little. 

The  period  of  the  "  little  dry  season"  is,  therefore,  that  at  which 
the  sun  is  nearest  the  southern  tropic.    As  by  the  revolution  of 


THE  RAINS. 


367 


the  earth  the  sun  becomes  non-vertical  near  the  equatorial  line, 
the  rains  again  begin,  and  grow  heaviest  when  the  sun  is  on  the 
line. 

Though  the  rains  are  heavy  before  this  little  dry  season,  they 
are  as  nothing  compared  with  those  which  follow.  Tornadoes 
then  become  frequent,  and  blow  with  extraordinary  force  during 
February,  March,  and  April. 

During  the  rainy  season  the  streams  become  swollen  and  over- 
flow their  banks,  covering  the  flat  country  which  borders  their 
courses.  The  bush  vegetation  and  the  grass  of  the  prairies  grow 
luxuriantly ;  and  when  the  waters  retire  a  heavy  deposit  of  fer- 
tile mud  remains  to  enrich  the  soil,  and  also  to  breed  fevers  and 
other  diseases. 

During  the  rainy  season  on  the  coast  the  prevailing  wind  is 
from  the  southwest. 

The  hottest  part  of  the  year  is  during  the  rains.  Near  the 
equator  the  hot  months  are  December,  January,  February,  March, 
and  part  of  April,  though  on  the  coast  the  thermometer  ranges 
no  higher  than  from  85°  to  90°.  A  few  weeks  before  the  dry 
season  sets  in  the  days  and  nights  become  cooler,  and  the  wind 
veers  gradually  from  southwest  to  south.  After  the  first  month 
of  the  wet  season  it  rains  mostly  only  at  night. 

The  dry  season  is  the  coolest  part  of  the  year  in  this  part  of 
Africa,  and  the  natives  often  suffer  from  cold.  The  thermometer 
ranges  as  low  sometimes,  early  in  the  morning,  as  64° ;  the  sky  is 
overcast,  which  is  peculiar  to  this  season ;  the  wind  on  the  coast, 
which  had  blown  from  the  land  in  the  morning  and  from  the  sea 
by  night,  now  almost  turns  into  one  steady  sea-breeze,  which 
blows  strongly,  especially  in  the  afternoon  and  evening.  This  is 
the  sickly  season  in  Africa  for  the  negroes,  who  at  this  time  suffer 
much  from  pleurisies  and  fevers ;  and  it  is  an  uncomfortable  fact 
that  it  is  much  healthier  and  safer  for  white  men  to  explore  the 
rivers  in  the  dreary  rainy  season  than  in  the  many  ways  charm- 
ing dry  season. 

This  dry  season  is  to  the  negroes  what  summer  is  to  us.  They 
go  more  frequently  on  travels  and  trading- tours  into  the  interior ; 
their  villages  are  deserted,  every  body  going  out  to  the  planta- 
tions ;  they  burn  the  dry  brush,  cut  down  trees,  and  clear  the 
ground  for  agricultural  operations ;  and  when  the  streams  have 
fairly  receded  within  their  banks  go  out  in  search  of  ivory,  which 


368  THE  DRY  SEASON. 


is  often  found  on  the  dry  bottoms  of  recently-full  lagoons,  and 
near  the  recently-overflown  river-banks. 

As  we  depart  from  the  equator  and  approach  the  tropical 
bounds,  the  rainy  seasons  becomes  shorter  and  the  dry  seasons 
longer.  This  is  owing  to  the  influence  of  the  sun,  as  before  ex- 
plained ;  and  not  only  is  the  rainy  season  shortened  by  the 
quicker  passage  of  the  sun  over  the  regions  nearest  the  tropical 
lines,  but  as  the  sun  is  for  half  the  year  near  one  or  other  of  the 
tropics,  so  they  lack  the  short  intermediate  dry  season,  which  is  a 
relief  to  the  long  rains  on  the  equator.  Also,  it  is  observed  that 
the  rains  somewhat  precede  the  sun  in  its  course,  and  last,  in  any 
given  place,  until  it  has  receded  so  far  as  to  have  no  farther  in- 
fluence. 

Near  the  equator,  on  the  sea-shore,  the  rainy  season  marks  its 
beginning  by  a  continuous  drizzle,  but  without  much  thunder 
during  the  first  month.  Thunder  is  heard  rolling  in  the  far  dis- 
tance, and  finally  the  rains  come  on  in  full  force  with  thunder  and 
lightning.  Then  the  sun  is  at  the  zenith  for  that  spot.  As  it 
moves  to  the  south  or  north  the  rains  gradually  grow  milder; 
and  when  the  sun  stands  over  the  tropic  of  Capricorn  there  oc- 
curs on  the  equator  that  intermediate  dry  season  to  which  I  have 
alluded. 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  equatorial  dry  season  is  not  interrupted 
by  any  short  rainy  season  to  balance  the  "  little  dry  season"  which 
interrupts  the  long  rains  at  the  time  when  the  sun  is  near  the 
southern  tropic ;  also  that  the  rains,  which  begin  as  the  sun  re- 
turns from  the  north,  are  more  continuous  while  the  sun  is  to  the 
south  of  the  equator  than  when  it  is  to  the  north.  Doubtless  the 
conformation  of  the  land  and  the  prevailing  winds  operate  to  ag- 
gravate the  rains  at  one  time  and  to  withhold  them  at  another. 

During  the  dry  season  there  is  little,  and  often  no  perceptible 
dew. 

The  first  care  of  a  white  man  coming  to  remain  for  a  time  on 
the  west  coast  is  to  inure  his  body  by  degrees  to  the  heat  and  to 
the  miasms  which  create  the  fevers  so  fatal  to  the  white  race. 
On  my  first  voyage  to  Africa  I  arrived  in  the  hottest  time  of  the 
year — in  the  middle  of  the  rainy  season.  My  chief  solicitude  was 
for  a  while  to  keep  clear  of  fever ;  for  those  who  are  seized  on 
their  first  arrival  suffer  more  severely  and  are  prostrated  for 
longer  periods  afterward  than  those  who  escape  for  a  time. 


FEVER. 


369 


I  may  as  well  state  here  that  all  white  residents  on  the  coast 
have  the  fever  more  or  less.  None  escape  altogether — too  many 
die.  That  a  good  constitution,  managed  with  prudence,  will 
stand  a  good  many  attacks,  is  proved  by  my  own  experience  and 
that  of  others.  I  suffered,  in  the  four  years  over  which  this  nar- 
rative extends,  from  no  less  than  fifty  attacks,  and  have  swallow- 
ed quite  fourteen  ounces  of  quinine. 

I  will  here  relate  the  treatment  which  I  found,  after  much  ex- 
perience, to  answer  best,  both  as  preventive  and  curative ;  and 
by  following  which  and  living  carefully,  I  was  able  to  undergo 
with  impunity  such  hardships  and  exposures  as  are  too  often  fatal 
to  white  men  on  the  African  coast. 

From  the  day  of  my  arrival  on  the  Gaboon  I  took  quinine, 
morning  and  evening,  in  doses  of  three  or  four  grains.  This  1 
have  found  a  good  preventive.  When  languor,  headache,  and 
aching  of  the  limbs  appeared  as  premonitory  symptoms  of  fever, 
I  increased  the  dose  to  eight  or  ten  grains.  Thus  for  the  first 
month  I  took  daily  doses  of  quinine ;  and  for  the  next  month  oc- 
casional doses,  generally  every  two  days.  During  my  whole  stay 
in  Africa  I  took  from  time  to  time,  even  when  in  perfect  health, 
doses  of  quinine  or  quinine  wine  as  a  prophylactic  or  preventive 
against  malaria.  Also  I  took  daily,  while  near  the  coast,  where 
such  articles  were,  with  care,  attainable,  either  port  or  sherry  wine, 
ale,  or  claret,  in  moderation.  When  at  my  depot  for  the  time  be- 
ing, I  always  took  care  to  have  these  articles  on  hand.  In  my 
journeys  to  the  far  interior  I  could  not,  however,  encumber  my- 
self with  such  supplies.  But  I  always  provided  a  sufficient  store 
of  pure  brandy  to  afford  me  at  least  a  thimbleful  daily.  This  I 
found  an  excellent  remedy  for  cramps  occasioned  by  bad  food 
and  indigestion,  or  exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  and  a  very  valuable 
tonic  for  the  debilitated  system  of  a  half-starved  explorer  and 
hunter.  Brandy  and  strong  coffee,  both  daily,  but  in  the  greatest 
moderation,  are,  next  to  good  habits  and  a  good  constitution,  the 
best  safeguards  against  disease  to  the  traveler  in  Central  Africa. 
Some  of  my  good  friends  the  missionaries  sometimes  remonstra- 
ted with  me  for  what  they  thought  setting  a  bad  example  to  the 
natives,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  they  religiously  abstained  them- 
selves, except  when  absolutely  necessary.  But  they  do  wrong ; 
and  a  proof  of  this  is,  that  many  of  them  succumb  to  the  climate 
and  the  fevers,  and  not  one  enjoys  as  good  general  health  as  was 

A  A 


4 


370 


PRECAUTIONS  AGAINST  FEVER. 


my  good  fortune  ;  although,  the  life  of  a  traveler  like  myself  was 
necessarily  more  exposed  than  that  of  one  living  steadily  in  one 
place,  and  not  subject  to  extremes  of  exertion  and  of  hunger. 

The  fact  is  that  our  American  missionaries  too  often  carry  with 
them  into  the  tropics  the  habits  of  our  temperate  and  healthy  cli- 
mate, and  make  it  a  matter  of  conscience  to  adhere  to  such  cus- 
toms as  are  not  at  all  calculated  to  preserve  health  under  changed 
circumstances.  Total  abstinence  may  perhaps  do  for  the  tem- 
perate clime  of  the  United  States ;  but  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  a  little  wine,  brandy,  or  ale  every  day  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  keep  up  the  tone  of  the  system  in  a  white  person 
in  Africa.  One  esteemed  friend,  a  missionary  on  the  coast,  had 
been  a  vegetarian  at  home.  lie  adhered  almost  literally  to  this 
habit  in  his  new  field  of  labor,  notwithstanding  the  advice  of  those 
who  had  experience  of  the  coast.  He  ate  nothing  but  fruits  and 
vegetables,  and,  of  course,  presently  contracted  a  daugerous  dys- 
entery.   "  Circumstances  alter  cases." 

The  climate  of  the  west  coast  is  sickly  and  exhausting,  not  be- 
cause of  its  extreme  heats,  but  because  of  its  high  average  tem- 
perature and  moisture,  and  the  universal  prevalence  of  malaria. 
Owing  to  the  prevalence  of  a  sea-breeze,  the  mercury  is  rarely 
higher  than  90°  in  the  shade ;  but  then  it  rarely  falls  below  80° 
for  nine  months  in  the  year ;  and  even  in  the  remaining  three — 
the  dry  season — it  never  gets  below  64°.  Thus  the  body  gets 
no  relief  at  all,  and  is  gradually  weakened  until,  finally,  fever  is 
brought  on  by  some  incautious  exposure  to  the  ever-present 
malaria. 

Exposure  to  the  mid-day  sun  must  be  carefully  avoided.  When- 
ever I  walked  in  the  sun,  even  mornings  and  evenings,  I  carried 
an  umbrella  over  my  head  and  a  handkerchief  in  my  hat.  In 
fact,  the  theory  of  the  turban — hot  as  that  head-covering  looks — 
is  the  true  one  for  a  tropical  sun.  White  men  can  not  work 
much  on  the  coast.  They  must  rest  a  great  part  of  every  day. 
Nevertheless,  regular  exercise  is  highly  beneficial ;  and  those  who 
walk  or  ride  mornings  and  evenings  always  enjoy  the  best  health. 
Between  10  A.M.  and  4  P.M.  exposure  to  the  sun  is  dangerous, 
and  should  be  carefully  avoided. 

Finally,  coffee  is  a  healthy  beverage.  And  when  the  system 
becomes  accustomed  to  quinine,  and  this  medicine  ceases  to  oper- 
ate, sometimes  a  small  dose  of  Fowler's  solution  of  arsenic  will  be 
found  very  successful  in  stopping  the  chills. 


CAUSES  OF  FEVER. 


371 


The  African  coast  fever  is  caused  by  the  miasms  which  rise 
from  the  immense  swamps  which  line  this  part  of  the  coast,  and 
which  are,  in  fact,  the  mouths  of  the  various  rivers  and  their  low- 
er tributary  creeks.  These,  falling  into  the  low  lands,  are  there 
dispersed,  and  become  sluggish.  Their  beds  are  filled  with  decay- 
ing vegetable  matter  brought  in  immense  masses  from  the  upper 
country  during  the  rainy  season.  The  banks  are  lined  and  over- 
grown with  dense  masses  of  mangroves,  bamboos,  and  other  wa- 
ter-loving trees  and  jungle,  which  keep  out  the  light  of  the  sun ; 
and  now,  when  the  dry  season  comes  on,  the  miasms  rise  and 
are  dispersed,  so  that  no  part  of  the  coast  is  free  from  their  influ- 
ence. 

The  heavy  rains  which  prevail  during  the  long  rainy  season  of 
eight  or  nine  months  suffice  to  saturate  the  soil,  and  to  decay  the 
mouldering  vegetable  substance  which  meanwhile  accumulates. 
The  heats  of  the  dry  season  drain  the  creeks  and  expose  their 
beds,  which  now  exhale  such  poisonous  vapors  as  even  the  natives 
can  not  withstand.  These  find  the  dry  season  the  most  sickly ; 
and  most  white  residents  have  a  similar  experience — contrary  to 
the  commonly  received  opinion.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  great 
mortality  of  several  African  exploring  expeditions  arose,  in  a 
•measure,  from  the  mistaken  supposition  that  the  dry  season  was 
the  safest  for  such  ventures. 

The  beginning  of  the  rainy  season  is  another  period  of  especial 
unhealthiness.  Then  the  river-beds  are  still  heated,  and  the  first 
rains  are  immediately  exhaled  into  feverish  vapors.  It  is  only 
after  a  severe  and  continued  drenching,  when  the  rainy  season  is 
fully  set  in,  that  African  rivers  should  be  explored. 

The  preliminary  symptoms  of  fever,  which  are  of  the  utmost 
importance  for  preventive  purposes,  are  too  generally  overlooked 
by  those  newly  arrived  on  the  coast.  To  old  stagers,  who  have 
had  experience,  they  afford  the  opportunity,  by  care  and  a  consid- 
erable dose  of  quinine,  to  stave  off  the  attack. 

These  symptoms  set  in  generally  a  few  hours  before  the  chill. 
Incautious  exposure  to  the  mid-day  sun,  sitting  in  wet  clothes,  or 
unusual  excitement,  however,  often  precipitate  the  attack.  I  have 
seen  a  man  lose  his  temper,  and  almost  instantly  fall  into  a  chill. 
In  fact,  the  mind  must  be  guarded  as  well  as  the  body  when  ill- 
ness is  threatened. 

The  premonitory  symptoms  are :  loss  of  appetite  and  irritabil- 


372 


PREMONITORY  SYMPTOMS. 


ity  of  temper ;  then  heaviness  of  the  head,  languor,  aching  of  the 
limbs,  an  unpleasant  taste  in  the  mouth,  continual  yawning  and 
stretching,  and  general  prostration. 

If  these  are  neglected,  there  follows  gradually  a  slight  sensa- 
tion of  cold.  The  sufferer  seeks  shelter  from  the  breeze  and  puts 
on  an  overcoat.  Finally  comes  the  regular  chill,  which  is  some- 
times light,  but  oftener  very  severe. 

When  the  chill  has  lasted  for  a  considerable  but  variable  time, 
it  disappears,  and  fever  sets  in.  Often  the  close  of  the  chill  is 
varied  with  sudden  flashes  of  heat,  succeeded  by  the  cold.  The 
hot  stage  generally  lasts  about  six  hours,  and  subsides  gradually. 
On  its  cessation  the  patient  feels  relieved,  but  finds  himself  great- 
ly prostrated.  His  face  is  shrunken  and  pallid,  and  he  has  a  gen- 
erally cadaverous  appearance. 

In  some  cases  fevers  begin  without  chills,  but  only  preceded 
by  headache,  nausea,  pains  in  the  back  and  limbs,  etc.  I  have 
had  many  more  fevers  than  chills,  and  was  often  taken  first  by 
fever. 

Meantime,  between  the  attacks  of  fever,  quinine  must  be  imme- 
diately given,  and  in  as  large  doses  as  the  system  can  bear ;  for 
Africa  is  not  a  j)lace  for  small  doses.  The  medicine  may  be 
taken  internally,  which  is  the  usual  way ;  or  the  body  may  be 
rubbed  with  it,  in  which  case  a  larger  quantity  must  be  used,  as 
the  pores  do  not  imbibe  it  readily  ;  or,  finally,  it  may  be  used  b}" 
injection. 

Frequently  the  medicine  does  not  prevent  a  return  of  the  chill 
for  one  or  even  two  paroxysms,  and  at  periods  of  from  twelve  to 
twenty-four  hours.  In  this  case  the  symptoms  are  increased.  In 
the  fever  stage  the  skin  becomes  red  and  hot,  the  face  turgid,  the 
eyes  bright  and  watery ;  there  is  violent  pain  in  the  head,  great 
thirst,  and  often  distressing  and  continued  nausea.  Sometimes 
nausea  is  so  severe  as  to  make  the  internal  application  of  quinine 
impossible,  in  which  cases  rubbing  it  into  the  skin  and  taking  it 
by  injection  will  be  found  useful.  But  long-continued  nausea 
often  seriously  complicates  the  disease  and  weakens  the  body, 
thus  making  it  less  able  to  resist  attacks. 

During  the  fever  the  pulse  is  always  increased  in  frequency 
and  force ;  but  the  range  is  great,  varying  from  80  to  130  beats  per 
minute,  even  in  simple  and  uncomplicated  fevers.  To  allay 
thirst,  weak  lemonade  is  given.    The  period  of  recovery  varies, 


MALIGNANT  FEVER. 


373 


of  course,  with  the  severity  of  the  attack  ;  but  even  in  very  mild 
cases  several  days  are  required  to  re-establish  the  patient's  health. 

The  disease  I  have  described  is  the  common  and  mild  form  of 
coast-fever,  the  simplest  and  least  dangerous  of  all.  Often,  how- 
ever, other  symptoms  appear  with  these,  and  cause  a  complica- 
ted intermittent,  which  is  much  more  serious,  because  more  diffi- 
cult to  treat  when  it  has  once  become  chronic. 

This  is  occasioned  by  inflammation  of  the  spleen  and  liver. 
The  spleen  is  subject  to  a  chronic  enlargement  where  patients 
have  suffered  from  intermittent  fever,  and  persons  suffering  from 
such  enlargement  should  not  remain  on  the  coast.  Affections 
of  the  spleen  can  not  always  be  known  without  percussion ;  but 
affections  of  the  liver  are  easily  recognized  by  their  effect  upon 
the  complexion.  The  white  of  the  eyes  becomes  yellow,  and  the 
whole  complexion  is  sallowed. 

Intermittent  fever  often  approaches  very  insidiously,  the  first 
chills  being  so  light  as  to  be  almost  invariably  neglected,  until 
finally  a  decided  chill  proclaims  that  the  fever-demon  has  gained 
possession. 

But  the  most  dangerous  form  of  fever  in  Africa  is  that  known 
as  malignant  or  pernicious  fever.  To  this  violent  disease  stout 
and  full-blooded  men  are  much  more  subject  than  lean  and  thin 
persons.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  African  climate  is  much  more 
fatal  to  full-blooded,  robust,  hearty  people,  than  to  those  who  are 
lank  and  thin.  No  length  of  residence  or  completeness  of  ac- 
climation exempts  a  man  from  this  last-mentioned  form  of  fever. 
The  oldest  residents  are  sometimes  carried  off  with  a  speed  which 
is  truly  frightful.  The  disease  not  unfrequently  runs  its  course  in 
twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours. 

The  approach  of  malignant  fever  is  very  insidious.  An  attack 
begins  mostly  with  an  ordinary  chill,  attended  by  no  unusual  or 
marked  symptoms.  Sometimes  the  patient  has  had  a  light  chill 
a  day  or  two  before  this,  which  he  has  neglected.  Sometimes  he 
has  felt  slightly  unwell  for  ten  or  fourteen  days ;  has  complained 
of  loss  of  appetite  and  general  weariness ;  but,  as  these  symptoms 
are  not  very  marked,  they  are  very  apt  to  be  overlooked,  especial- 
ly with  new-comers.  It  requires  one  fully  on  his  guard  and  fa- 
miliar with  all  the  symptoms  to  detect  its  approach. 

The  real  attack  may  begin  with  a  chill  or  with  a  fever,  but  its 
effects  are,  in  either  case,  at  once  evident  in  a  peculiarly  yellow 


374 


TKEATMENT  OF  MALIGNANT  FEVER. 


skin  and  haggard  countenance.  In  fever  there  is  profuse  per- 
spiration, a  rush  of  blood  to  the  head,  high  and  irregular  pulse, 
and  general  prostration.  Sometimes  the  body  is  hot,  but  dry. 
Thirst  is  urgent,  but  the  stomach  rejects  whatever  is  swallowed. 

Now  is  the  time  to  give  quinine  in  large  doses.  In  such  cases 
I  have  stopped  the  attack  by  taking  this  medicine  at  the  rate  of 
60  grains  per  day,  20  grains  at  a  dose ;  and  if  I  were  suffering 
from  a  severe  attack,  I  should  not  hesitate  to  take  in  one  day  160 
grains. 

If  the  paroxysm  of  fever  returns,  it  is  with  renewed  force,  and 
the  third  attack  is  commonly  fatal.  Before  death  the  patient 
becomes  insensible ;  there  is  violent  vomiting,  which  is,  in  fact, 
but  a  regurgitation  of  the  ingesta,  mixed  with  green  and  yellow 
fluids.  Immediately  after  the  chill,  and  even  before  this  has  pass- 
ed off,  the  urine  becomes  dark  red  or  black.  The  pulse  is  very 
irregular,  the  breathing  slow,  and  finally  the  patient  sinks  away 
into  a  state  of  coma,  and  dies  without  a  struggle. 

There  is  another  form  of  attack  which  ends  even  more  quickly 
than  the  one  just  described.  In  this  there  is  no  yellowness.  The 
countenance  is  pale,  and  has  a  peculiar  ghastliness  and  wildness 
of  expression.  The  skin  is  cold  to  the  touch,  though  the  patient 
does  not  complain  of  cold.  The  whole  surface  is  almost  insensi- 
ble to  stimulants.  The  pulse  is  generally  small  and  very  fre- 
quent, particularly  in  the  beginning.  Under  these  symptoms 
sometimes  a  patient  sinks  away,  reaction  never  occurring.  The 
treatment  here  must  be  stimulating.  In  the  last  stages  there  is 
sometimes  blindness  and  deafness;  in  others  there  is  not  only  en- 
tire prostration  of  the  intellect,  but  raving  delirium ;  and  the  pa- 
tient must  be  held  in  bed  by  force.  This  soon  ends  in  stupor  and 
death. 

The  natives  sometimes  suffer  from  fever,  though  by  no  means 
as  frequently  as  the  whites.  With  them  the  chills  return  some- 
times every  third  or  seventh  day  for  some  weeks,  and  finally  wear 
out  of  themselves.  I  have  known  a  few — four  or  five — instances 
where  natives  died  of  malignant  fever,  but  this  does  not  happen 
often.  In  the  cases  I  saw  they  had  first,  for  a  few  days,  the  usual 
chills,  which  then  turned  into  malignant  fever,  under  which  they 
sank. 

In  cases  of  malignant  fever,  inflammatory  complications  of  the 
liver,  spleen,  or  brain  greatly  aggravate  the  attack,  and  almost  al- 
ways give  the  disease  a  fatal  turn. 


CAEE  OF  HEALTH  IN  AFRICA.  375 

• 

If  the  chills  are  broken  by  medicine  they  are  apt  to  return  at 
longer  but  regular  intervals,  mostly  in  seven,  fourteen,  or  twenty- 
one  days,  and  precautions  should  be  used  against  such  returns. 
It  is  well  to  take  quinine  twelve  or  twenty -four  hours  before  the 
periodical  return  of  the  chill. 

Persons  residing  permanently  in  any  fever  district  are  more 
liable  to  attacks  than  those  who  are  moving  about,  and  in  this  I 
had  an  advantage,  though  on  several  occasions  a  return  to  the 
coast  from  the  interior  brought  on  a  fever  which  probably  I 
should  have  escaped  had  I  remained  all  the  time  on  the  coast. 
Where  a  fever  is  not  broken  readily  by  medicine,  it  is  prudent  to 
try  a  temporary  change  of  locality. 

I  will  conclude  this  chapter  by  a  summary  account  of  my 
course  of  treatment  of  myself  in  a  fever  attack.  "When  the  chill 
was  felt  I  covered  myself  heavily  to  induce  perspiration.  Then 
my  extremities  were  severely  rubbed  with  pepper  and  mustard  to 
restore  their  temperature.  The  thirst  of  fever  was  quenched  with 
cold  lemonade.  Costiveness  was  averted  by  cathartics.  For 
headache  cold  water  was  applied,  and  when  this  was  without  ef- 
fect, leeches,  which  are  very  abundant  almost  every  where  in  this 
region.  If  my  liver  was  affected  I'took  calomel,  and  also  applied 
leeches.  Meantime  quinine  was  taken  in  doses  of  from  4  to  12 
grains,  and  at  the  rate  of  from  12  to  60  grains  per  day,  according 
to  the  violence  of  the  attack.  And  when  the  fever  was  broken  I 
continued  to  take  four  or  five  grain  doses  daily  for  some  weeks, 
as  a  preventive. 

The  treatment  must  be  energetic.  Delays  are  most  dangerous ; 
and  I  have  found  it  well  to  meet  every  individual  symptom,  so 
far  as  possible,  with  a  remedy.  In  intermittent  chills,  where  the 
paroxysm  returns  generally  after  seven  days,  I  was  very  careful 
to  take  quinine  the  day  before  and  on  the  day  of  the  chill  a  few 
hours  before  it  came  on.  Patients  should  not  be  frightened  by 
the  slight  deafness  and  ringing  in  the  ears,  which  is  one  of  the 
immediate  effects  of  quinine.  These  effects  go  off  presently,  and 
they  are  useful  as  evidence  that  the  drug  has  taken  effect. 

In  my  ten  years'  residence  in  Africa  I  paid  much  and  close  at- 
tention to  the  phases  of  fever ;  but  it  was  not  till  after  some  years 
of  careful  study  of  my  own  symptoms  that  I  became  able  to  de- 
tect its  insidious  approach  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  and  thus, 
by  timely  preventives  and  care,  ward  off  many  attacks. 


\ 


376  EXPLANATION. 

In  justice  to  myself,  my  readers,  and  particularly  the  medical 
profession,  I  must  say,  in  conclusion,  that  I  have  never  studied 
medicine,  and  know  nothing  of  diseases  or  their  remedies  beyond 
what  my  necessities,  as  a  traveler  in  a  barbarous  and  sickly  coun- 
try, have  compelled  me  to  learn  experimentally.  But  necessity 
is  an  able  teacher. 


SUBDIVISIONS  OF  THE  TRIBES. 


377 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Politics :  the  Government,  Superstitions,  and  Slave  System  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

I  have  found  it  most  convenient  to  consider  these  three  sub- 
jects together,  because  each  is  intimately  affected  by  the  other ; 
and  to  treat  of  them  separately  would  be  almost  impossible. 

Among  the  tribes  which  I  visited  in  my  explorations  I  found 
but  one  form  of  government,  which  may  be  called  the  patriarch- 
al. There  is  not  sufficient  national  unity  in  any  of  the  tribes  to 
give  occasion  for  such  a  despotism  as  prevails  in  Dahomey,  and 
in  other  of  the  African  nationalities.  I  found  the  tribes  of  Equa- 
torial Africa  greatly  dispersed,  and,  in  general,  no  bond  of  union 
between  parts  of  the  same  tribe.  A  tribe  is  divided  up  into  nu- 
merous clans,  and  these  again  into  numberless  little  villages,  each 
of  which  last  possesses  an  independent  chief.  The  villages  are 
scattered ;  are  often  moved  for  death  or  witchcraft,  as  I  have  al- 
ready explained  in  the  narrative ;  and  not  unfrequently  are  en- 
gaged in  war  with  each  other. 

The  chieftainship  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  hereditary,  the  right 
of  succession  vesting  in  the  brother  of  ^he  reigning  chief  or  king. 
The  people,  however,  and  particularly  the  elders  of  the  village, 
have  a  veto  power,  and  can,  for  sufficient  cause,  deprive  the  lineal 
heir  of  his  succession,  and  put  in  over  him  some  one  thought  of 
more  worth.  In  such  cases  the  question  is  put  to  the  vote  of  the 
village ;  and  where  parties  are  equally  divided  as  to  strength, 
there  ensue  sometimes  long  and  serious  palavers  before  all  can 
unite  in  a  choice.  The  chief  is  mostly  a  man  of  great  influence 
prior  to  his  accession,  and  generally  an  old  man  when  he  gains 
power. 

His  authority,  though  greater  than  one  would  think,  judging 
from  the  little  personal  deference  paid  to  him,  is  final  only  in  mat- 
ters of  every-day  use.  In  cases  of  importance,  such  as  war,  or 
any  important  removal,  the  elders  of  the  village  meet  together 
and  deliberate  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  population,  which  last 
finally  decide  the  question. 


378 


PROPERTY. 


The  elders,  who  possess  other  authority,  and  are  always  in  the 
counsels  of  the  chief,  are  the  oldest  members  of  important  families 
in  the  village.  Respect  is  paid  to  them  on  account  of  their  years, 
but  more  from  a  certain  regard  for  "family,"  which  the  African 
has  very  strongly  wherever  I  have  known  him.  These  families 
form  the  aristocracy. 

Except  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Gaboon,  trade  with  whites 
is  yet  insignificant.  There  is  no  property  in  land ;  they  have  no 
cattle ;  and  the  riches  which  give  a  man  consequence  consist, 
therefore,  of  slaves  and  wives.  The  more  wives  (and  fathers-in- 
law),  the  more  power.  The  more  slaves,  the  more  ease  and  plenty. 
The  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  total  absence  of  national  esprit, 
makes  such  vast  predatory  wars  as  we  hear  of  in  Dahomey  and 
other  kingdoms  impossible  in  this  great  region.  Nevertheless, 
life  and  property  are  by  no  means  secure.  The  African  is  a  jeal- 
ous creature.  He  watches  his  neighbors  prosperity  with  jaun- 
diced eyes ;  and  a  man  acquires  wealth  in  slaves  and  wives  at  the 
constant  risk  of  his  life.  His  relatives  can  not  help  thinking  of 
their  rich  inheritance  if  he  were  out  of  the  way.  His  neighbors 
would  like  to  plunder  him.  And  so  presently  rumors  are  raised 
that  he  is  a  potent  and  evil-minded  sorcerer — that  he  "possesses  a 
witch ;"  then  come  accusations ;  witnesses  are  but  too  easily  ob- 
tained ;  the  case  is  sure  to  go  against  him ;  and  he  flees  for  refuge 
to  another  tribe,  remaining  in  lifelong  banishment ;  or,  if  he  faces 
it  out,  is  compelled  to  thfi  poison  ordeal,  and,  unless  he  has  firm, 
and  influential,  and  faithml  friends — a  rare  thing  here — he  per- 
ishes. 

As  for  other  property,  such  as  ivory  or  trade  goods,  these  are 
carefully  concealed,  only  the  owner,  his  head  wife,  and  a  few  trusty 
friends  knowing  of  their  existence. 

The  villages  in  all  this  region  are  not  very  populous.  Very 
few  have  a  thousand  inhabitants,  many  have  only  a  few  hund- 
reds, and  many  more  not  even  a  hundred.  Large  expeditions 
for  purposes  of  robbery  or  murder  are  therefore- impossible. 
Still  less  possible  because  of  the  nature  of  the  country,  which  is 
an  almost  impenetrable  forest,  and  because  they  have  no  beasts 
of  burden  or  draught  to  convey  them. 

Nevertheless,  wars  are  frequent,  and  in  some  parts  almost  con- 
stant. Quarrels  or  palavers  arise  on  account  of  bad  faith  in  trade : 
intrigues  with  strange  women ;  a  desire  for  slaves,  either  for  do- 


SLAVERY.  379 

mestic  service  or  for  the  foreign  trade ;  wanton  or  vindictive  ac- 
cusations of  sorcery;  and  often  out  of  mere  commercial  or  social 
jealousy  of  the  neighbors'  superior  prosperity. 

In  war  they  show  no  bravery,  although  on  the  hunt  they  are 
certainly  brave  enough.  They  despise  boldness  and  admire  cun- 
ning ;  prefer  to  gain  by  treachery,  if  possible ;  have  no  mercy  or 
consideration  for  the  enemy's  women  and  children ;  are  cruel  to 
those  who  fall  in  their  power. 

The  system  of  slavery,  as  it  prevails  here,  is  not  at  all  under- 
stood, and  I  shall  endeavor  to  make  it  plain  to  my  readers.  In 
the  first  place,  I  ought  to  state  that  its  existence  has  no  connec- 
tion at  all  with  the  foreign  slave-trade.  There  were  slaves  held 
here  long  before  a  barracoon  was  built  on  the  coast — probably 
long  before  the  good  priest  Las  Casas  thought  of  relieving  his 
poor  Indians  by  substituting  black  men  in  their  place.  History- 
testifies  of  this.  Nor  is  it  continued  because  of  the  present  for- 
eign slave-trade.  It  has  an  independent  existence,  and  is  ruled 
by  laws  of  its  own. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  slaves  in  all  the  tribes  I  met.  One 
class  are  domestic  servants,  who  are  not  sold  out  of  the  tribe,  and 
who,  while  suffering  some  disabilities  as  slaves,  have  yet  a  large 
portion  of  liberty,  and  a  certain  voice  and  influence  in  the  village 
where  they  are  owned.  They  are  protected  by  their  master; 
have  often  property  of  their  own ;  and  their  chief  duty  is  to  pro- 
vide him  with  food,  either  by  hunting  or  by  assisting  in  the  till- 
age of  the  ground,  which  is  the  labor  of  free  women  and  the  fe- 
male slaves. 

Masters  are  seldom  very  severe  with  their  slaves,  and  this  be- 
cause they  fear  the  slave  will  in  revenge  bewitch  them.  The 
slave  is  held  to  be  in  a  very  inferior  position  to  a  free  man  ;  and 
the  master  may  kill  his  slave  if  he  will,  no  one  having  the  right 
of  interfering  between  them.  The  laws  or  customs  of  the  coun- 
try protect  him  in  this  privilege,  which  I  have  myself  known  to 
be  exercised.  Many  slaves  enjoy  the  confidence  of  their  masters 
to  that  degree  that  they  are  sent  on  long  trading-journeys  with 
much  valuable  property.  They  are  generally  faithful  to  such 
trusts. 

Those  tribes  which  have  a  connection  with  the  coast,  and  a  for- 
eign market  for  their  slaves,  also  employ  themselves  in  purchas- 
ing slaves  from  other  tribes  to  supply  this  trade.    This  is  a  dis- 


* 


380  FOREIGN  SLAVE-TRADE. 

tinct  kind  of  slavery,  however ;  and  the  domestic  slave  is,  in  most 
cases,  in  no  fear  of  being  sold  to  the  coast  so  long  as  he  is  accused 
of  no  crime.  The  foreign  slave-trade  is  now  supplied  almost  en- 
tirely from  the  interior.  Thus  many  of  that  singular  people,  the 
Fans,  have  been  recently  brought  down  to  the  coast.  So  the 
Ashira  and  Apingi,  and  members  of  tribes  living  even  beyond 
them,  and  totally  unknown  to  the  whites,  find  their  way  down  to 
the  Cape  Lopez  and  other  barracoons,  handed  along  from  tribe  to 
tribe  just  like  a  tusk  of  ivory  or  a  stick  of  ebony. 

It  is  easily  supposable  that  the  effect  of  this  foreign  demand  on 
the  tribes  living  nearest  the  coast  is  to  multiply  accusations  of 
witchcraft  and  other  crimes,  for  which  slavery  is  a  punishment, 
and  thus  to  enlarge  the  evils  of  this  system.  But  it  must  also  be 
admitted  that,  whereas  now  a  man  is  too  valuable  to  kill  and  is 
sold,  if  the  foreign  demand  did  not  exist,  all  men  accused  of  sor- 
cery would  be  barbarously  murdered. 

Inquire  of  the  men  of  any  tribe  in  this  region,  and  they  will 
tell  you  that  they  do  not  sell  their  own  people,  but  that  (hey  are 
all  freemen.  Nevertheless,  the  observer  will  find  that  debtors 
are  often  sold ;  sorcerers,  adulterers,  and  cheats  are  either  sold  or 
killed ;  and  in  all  palavers,  of  whatever  kind,  the  man  who  goes 
to  the  wall  is  pretty  sure  to  be  sold  off.  They  do  not  keep  such 
people  in  their  own  tribes,  but 'sell  them  to  the  next  tribe. 

No  better  illustration  could  be  given  of  the  way  in  which  the 
slave  system  has  ingrafted  itself  upon  the  life  and  policy  of  these 
tribes  than  this,  that,  from  the  sea-shore  to  the  farthest  point  in  the 
interior  which  I  was  able  to  reach,  the  commercial  unit  of  value 
is  a  slave.  As  we  say  dollar,  as  the  English  say  pound  sterling, 
so  these  Africans  say  slave.  If  a  man  is  fined  for  an  offense,  he 
is  mulcted  in  so  many  slaves.  If  he  is  bargaining  for  a  wife,  he 
contracts  to  give  so  many  slaves  for  her.  Perhaps  he  has  no 
slaves ;  but  he  has  ivory  or  trade  goods,  and  pays  of  these  the 
value  of  so  many  slaves — that  is  to  say,  as  much  ivory,  or  ebony, 
or  bar-wood,  or  the  amount  in  trade  goods  which  would,  in  that 
precise  place,  buy  so  many  slaves.  For  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  at  every  short  remove  into  the  interior  the  slave's  value 
diminishes ;  so  that,  among  the  Apingi,  a  slave  is  worth  only 
about  one  seventh  what  he  would  bring  at  Cape  Lopez.  This  de- 
terioration, however,  is  balanced  by  the  increased  value  of  trade 
goods,  for  which  the  demand  always  exceeds  the  supply,  and 
which,  therefore,  to  some  extent,  rule  the  market. 


THE  SLAVE  A  UNIT  OF  VALUE. 


381 


If  a  man  is  fined  a  certain  number  of  slaves,  he  may  pay  in 
"  trade"  of  any  kind.  If  lie  has  no  slaves  or  goods,  then  he  is 
often  sold  himself,  and  the  proceeds,  be  it  ivory  or  other  "trade," 
is  divided  among  those  to  whom  the  fine  was  incurred. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  slave-trade  is  the  cause  of 
all  the  wars  and  quarrels  of  the  African  tribes  and  nations. 
Where  it  plays  a  part,  it  doubtless  aggravates  these ;  but  the  total 
absence  of  any  law  but  that  of  the  strongest — the  almost  total  ig- 
noring of  the  right  of  property,  and  the  numerous  superstitions 
of  the  people,  are  the  fertile  causes  of  constant  warfare. 

A  greater  development  of  regular  civilized  trade  would  be  a 
great  boon  to  these  people.  Many  articles,  such  as  guns,  powder, 
tobacco,  brass,  and  iron  in  various  shapes,  etc.,  have  become  ne- 
cessities to  the  tribes  who  are  within  reach  of  white  trade;  but 
they  are  never  obtainable  in  nearly  sufficient  quantities,  and  con- 
sequently are  held  very  precious.  Now  the  high  prices  are  a 
great  temptation  to  the  cupidity  of  the  African,  who,  having  by 
custom  rights  of  property  in  his  children,  often  does  not  hesitate 
to  sell  these  where  other  produce  is  lacking.  He  finds  that  one 
of  his  children  is  not  bright,  that  it  has  no  sense,  or  that  it  wants 
to  bewitch  the  father.  Then  a  consultation  ensues  with  the  rela- 
tives of  the  mother ;  they  are  promised  a  share  in  the  produce  of 
the  sale — for  they  have  rights  als^in  the  child — and,  when  they 
are  brought  to  consent,  the  unhappy  child  is  sold  off. 

"With  the  increase  of  legitimate  trade  such  temptations  will  be 
done  away  with.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  convinced  that  the  in- 
troduction of  agricultural  industry,  the  planting  of  cotton  and  sug- 
ar for  export,  when  these  ends  are  accomplished  will  only  serve 
to  rivet  the  bonds  of  the  slave  by  so  much  as  they  will  increase 
his  value  to  the  master.  Now,  the  slave  only  adds  to  his  master's 
ease  and  consequence ;  then,  he  will  appeal  to  his  cupidity.  Show 
him  that  he  can  make  a  profit  on  his  labor,  and  he  will  never  con- 
sent to  set  him  free. 

Polygamy  exists  every  where.  A  man's  great  ambition  is  to 
have  a  great  many  wives.  These  cultivate  the  ground  for  him, 
and  it  is,  in  fact,  their  duty  to  feed  him.  He  does  not  interfere 
with  their  labors  on  the  soil.  They  are  responsible  for  his  daily 
food.  The  man  buys  his  wife  of  her  father  for  a  sum  agreed  on, 
often  when  she  is  but  a  child.  She  becomes  his  wife  sometimes 
at  the  age  of  five,  and  sometimes  still  younger.    Often  the  young 


382 


WOMEN. 


child  is  placed  under  care  of  the  future  husband's  chief  wife,  a 
privileged  personage,  who  superintends  her  husband's  affairs, 
shares  his  secrets,  rules  his  other  wives,  and  to  intrigue  with 
whom  is  a  special  and  greater  offense  than  adultery  with  the  oth- 
ers. A  man's  claims  on  his  father-in-law  for  help  in  trade,  or  in 
a  palaver,  are  rigidly  respected,  and  this  gives  additional  value  to 
a  great  number  of  wives.  I  have  found  that  the  wives  rarely  dis- 
agreed among  themselves.  Early  marriage  and  hard  treatment 
makes  many  of  the  women  childless ;  and  greegrees,  which  are 
believed  to  cure  sterility,  are  in  great  demand  all  over  the  coun- 
try. Children,  whether  male  or  female,  are  thought  a  great  bless- 
ing, not  only  to  the  father,  but  to  his  village,  whose  consequence  is 
increased  by  every  birth.  They  know  very  little  of  the  right  care 
of  children,  and  a  great  proportion  of  the  infants  die. 

Men  marry,  at  every  opportunity,  and  at  all  ages  up  to  seventy 
or  eighty.  As  long  as  he  can  buy  wives,  this  is  his  great  ambi- 
tion. Obedience  is  the  wife's  first  duty,  and  it  is  enforced  with- 
out mercy.  Such  a  whip  as  is  figured  below  is  an  important  in- 
strument found  in  every,  house.  It  is  made  of  the  hide  of  the 
hippopotamus  or  manatee,  and  is  a  barbarous  weapon,  as  stiff,  and 
hard,  and  heavy  as  iron.  This  is  laid  on  with  no  light  hand,  the 
worthy  husband  crying  out,  "  Eascal,  do  you  think  I  paid  my 
slaves  for  you  for  nothing  ?"#rrhe  wives  are  more  harshly  treat- 
ed than  the  slaves — a  stroke  of  the  whip  often  leaves  a  life-long 
mark ;  and  I  saw  very  few  women  in  all  my  travels  who  had  not 
some  such  marks  on  their  persons. 


The  women  in  all  the  tribes  are  much  given  to  intrigue,  and 
chastity  is  an  unknown  virtue.  As  they  are  not  confined  in  their 
movements,  but  roam  about  freely  and  till  the  soil,  opportunity  is 
never  wanting.  And  if  a  woman  has  many  children,  her  many 
sins  are  easily  forgiven  her.  Then  she  is  the  pride,  not  only  of 
her  husband,  but  of  the  whole  village. 


FETICHISM. 


383 


Feticliism  is  tlie  name  applied  by  Europeans  to  the  religion  of 
the  tribes  and  natives  of  western  and  southern  Africa.  It  is  de- 
rived from  the  Portuguese  term  feiticdo,  signifying  magic;  and 
this,  in  turn,  comes  from  the  Nigritian  feitico,  which  means  "a 
magic  thing."  Among  the  tribes  with  which  I  am  familiar,  there 
is  no  native  generic  term  equivalent  to  our  word  religion,  and  no 
necessity  for  one,  as  they  have  no  idea  of  a  system  of  belief.  By 
fetichism  is  understood  the  worship  of  idols,  and  animate  and  in- 
animate objects,  such  as  serpents,  birds,  rocks,  mountain  peaks, 
feathers,  teeth,  etc. ;  and  the  belief  in  good  and  evil  spirits,  in  the 
power  of  charms  (called  monda),  and  in  the  significance  of 
dreams. 

Their  religious  notions  are  of  the  loosest  and  vaguest  kind,  and 
no  two  persons  are  found  to  agree  in  any  particulars  about  which 
the  traveler  seeks  information.  After  the  most  careful  and  ex- 
tensive inquiries,  I  am  unable  to  present  an  array  of  items  from 
which  the  reader  may  make  up  a  theological  system.  Supersti- 
tion seems  in  these  countries  to  have  run  wild,  and  every  man  be- 
lieves what  his  fancy,  by  some  accident,  most  forcibly  presents  to 
him  as  hurtful  or  beneficial. 

The  only  point  on  which  I  have  come  to  a  determinate  convic- 
tion is  that,  though  these  people  lay  offerings  upon  the  graves  of 
their  friends ;  though  they  even  sometimes  shed  the  blood  of 
slaves  on  the  grave  of  a  chief  or  of  a  father  of  a  family ;  though 
they  fear  the  spirits  of  the  recent  dead ;  though  their  belief  in 
sorcery  is  very  strong :  yet  they  are  sunk  in  an  utter  materialism, 
and  not  only  have  no  definite  ideas  as  to  the  state  of  the  soul  aft- 
er death,  but  do  not  even  believe  in  its  existence  for  any  consid 
erable  time  after  it  leaves  the  body. 

They  fear  the  spirits  of  the  recently-departed ;  and  besides  plac- 
ing furniture,  dress,  and  food  at  their  graves,  return  from  time  to 
time  with  other  supplies  of  food.  When  men  and  women  are 
slain  over  a  grave,  they  even  believe  that  their  spirits  join  that 
of  him  in  whose  honor  they  have  been  killed.  During  the  season 
appointed  for  mourning,  the  deceased  is  remembered  and  feared; 
but  when  once  his  memory  grows  dim,  the  negro  ceases  to  be- 
lieve in  the  prolonged  existence  of  the  departed  spirit. 

Ask  a  negro  where  the  spirit  of  his  grandfather  or  great-grand- 
father, whom  he  did  not  know,  is,  and  he  will  reply  confidently 
that  it  is  "done,"  "gone  out,"  no  more,  or  that  he  does  not  know 
where  it  has  gone. 


384 


FEAR  OF  SPIRITS. 


I  have  frequently  held  such  conversation  as  this : 
" Do  you  believe  there  is  a  God?" 
"  Yes." 

" Do  you  think  you  will  see  this  God  when  you  die?" 
"  No." 

"  After  death  all  is  done,"  is  a  proverb  always  in  their  mouths. 
The  fear  of  spirits  of  the  departed  seems  an  instinctive  feeling  for 
which  they  do  not  attempt  to  account  to  themselves,  and  about 
which  they  have  formed  no  theory.  They  believe  the  spirit  is 
near  and  about  them ;  that  it  requires  food  and  property ;  that  it 
can  and  sometimes  does  harm  them.  They  think  of  it  as  a  vin- 
dictive thing,  to  be  feared  and  to  be  conciliated.  But  as  the  mem- 
ory of  the  departed  grows  dim,  so  does  this  fear  of  his  spirit  van- 
ish. Ask  a  negro  about  the  spirit  of  his  brother  who  died  yes- 
terday, and  he  is  full  of  terror ;  ask  him  about  the  spirit  of  those 
who  died  long  ago,  and  he  will  tell  you  carelessly,  "It  is  done;" 
that  is  to  say,  it  has  no  existence. 

This  total  lack  of  generalization  or  systematizing  a  belief  is 
very  curious,  and  goes  through  all  their  individual  superstitions. 
Thus  a  negro  told  me  such  a  man's  soul  (whom  he  knew),  when 
he  died,  went  to  the  woods,  and  now  inhabited  a  certain  bird, 
which  was  therefore  sacred.  But  when  I  asked  if  he  believed  in 
the  transmigration  of  souls,  he  confidently  told  me  no.  He  be- 
lieved in  this  particular  case,  and  for  some  special  reason,  but  no 
farther.  The  ouganga  or  doctor  had  said  so,  or  he  had  dreamt 
it,  or  it  was  the  current  belief.  But  beyond  that  he  did  not 
think. 

I  found  in  all  the  tribes  I  visited  a  faith  in  the  existence  and 
power  of  two  great  spirits,  one  called  Abambou  or  Ocoucou,  and 
the  other  Mbuirri.  The}'  have  other  names  in  various  tribes,  but 
wherever  I  journeyed  I  found  this  belief.  Both  appear  to  be 
evil  spirits,  though  sometimes  willing  to  do  good.  They  are  not 
represented  by  idols,  but  have  houses  built  for  their  occupation 
when  tired  of  wandering,  food  offered  to  them,  and  are  feared  and 
implored  to  do  no  harm.  One  is  generally  counted  so  much  less 
evil  than  the  other,  that  he  may  be  called  a  good  spirit  in  some 
cases,  and  by  comparison.  Some  tribes  believe  them  to  be  mar- 
ried to  two  female  spirits.  They  are  said  sometimes  to  walk  into 
the  village  by  night  and  to  let  their  voices  be  heard.  These  two 
spirits  are  the  potent  ones ;  they  seem  to  be  more  powerful  than 


IDOL  WORSHIP. 


38a 


all  the  others.  In  sickness  and  on  other  grave  occasions  they  are 
always  invoked. 

The  name  Aniambie  stands,  I  think,  for  God.  But  yet  they 
have  no  idea  of  a  supreme  and  almighty  spirit,  Creator  and  Pre- 
server. The  word  aniemha,  which  sounds  much  like  the  pre- 
viously-named, and  is  probably  derived  from  the  same  root,  sig- 
nifies "  possessed  by  a  witch." 

The  large  idol  of  a  clan  is  kept  in  a  house  made  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  hither  come  its  worshipers  when  they  are  about  to  pro- 
ceed on  a  hunting  or  other  important  expedition.  They  present 
food,  and  then  invoke  its  protection  by  dancing  and  singing  be- 
fore it. 

Such  idols  are  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation, 
and  are  much  feared.  There  are  also  private  idols,  possessed  and 
worshiped  by  individuals ;  but  these  have  less  authority. 

Their  idols,  which  are  always  repulsive  figures,  are  believed  to 
speak,  to  walk  about,  to  eat  and  drink — in  short,  to  perform  all, 
or  nearly  all  the  functions  of  a  man.  It  is  remarkable  that  they 
have  no  priests.  The  ouganga  or  doctor  is  their  wise  man  and 
medicine  man — he  who  exorcises  evil  spirits  and  puts  power  into 
their  charms ;  but  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  idol. 

Next  in  order,  after  the  idols,  come  the  charms  or  greegrees, 
called  by  them  monda.  Grreegree,  like  fetich,  is  a  term  of  Euro- 
pean origin.  In  these  mondas  they  have  implicit  faith.  No  ne- 
gro in  all  this  region  but  has  about  his  person  one  or  more  of 
these  articles.  The  preparation  gives  a  considerable  revenue  and 
much  honor  to  the  doctors,  who  have,  however,  themselves  the 
greatest  confidence  in  these  things.  They  are  generally  worn 
about  the  neck  or  waist ;  are  made  of  the  skins  of  rare  animals, 
of  the  claws  of  birds,  the  teeth  of  crocodiles  or  leopards,  of  the 
dried  flesh  and  brains  of  animals,  of  the  feathers  of  rare  birds,  of 
the  ashes  of  certain  kinds  of  wood,  of  the  skin  and  bones  of  ser- 
pents, etc.,  etc.  Every  greegree  has  a  special  power.  One  pro- 
tects from  sickness ;  another  makes  the  heart  of  the  hunter  or  war- 
rior brave ;  another  gives  success  to  the  lover ;  another  protects 
against  sorcery;  some  cure  sterility,  and  others  make  the  moth- 
er's breast  abound  in  milk  for  her  babe.  The  charmed  leopard's 
skin  worn  about  the  warrior's  middle  is  supposed  to  render  that 
worthy  spear-proof;  and  with  an  iron  chain  about  his  neck  no 
bullet  can  hit  him.    If  the  charm  fails  his  faith  is  none  the  less 

B  B 


386 


FEAR  OF  DEATH. 


firm,  for  then  it  is  plain  that  some  potent  and  wicked  sorcerer  has 
worked  a  too  powerful  counter-spell,  and  to  this  he  has  fallen  a 
victim. 

The  greatest  curse  of  the  whole  country  is  the  belief  in  aniem- 
ba,  sorcery  or  witchcraft.  The  African  firmly  believes  death  to 
be  always  a  violence.  He  can  not  imagine  that  a  man  who  was 
well  two  weeks  ago  should  now  be  lying  at  death's  door  with  dis- 
ease, unless  some  potent  wizard  had  interfered,  and  by  witchcraft 
broken  the  thread  of  life  and  inflicted  sickness.  They  have  the 
most  terrible  and  debasing  fear  of  death. 

"  Are  you  ready  for  death  ?"  I  sometimes  asked. 

"No!"  would  be  the  hasty  reply.  "  Never  speak  of  that;  ah!" 
with  a  shudder  of  horror. 

And  then  a  dark  cloud  settled  on  the  poor  fellow's  face ;  in  his 
sleep  that  night  he  had  horrid  dreams,  and  for  a  few  days  he  was 
suspicious  of  all  about  him,  fearing  for  his  poor  life  lest  it  should 
be  attacked  by  a  wizard. 

If  the  African  is  once  possessed  with  the  belief  that  he  is  be- 
witched, his  whole  nature  seems  to  change.  He  becomes  suspi- 
cious of  his  dearest  friends.  The  father  dreads  his  children ;  the 
son  his  father  and  mother ;  the  man  his  wife  ;  and  the  wives  their 
husband.  He  fancies  himself  sick,  and  really  often  becomes  sick 
through  his  fears.  By  night  he  thinks  himself  surrounded  with 
evil  spirits.  He  covers  himself  with  fetiches  and  charms ;  makes 
presents  to  the  idol,  and  to  Abambou  and  Mbuirri ;  and  is  full  of 
wonderful  and  frightful  dreams,  which  all  point  to  the  fact  that 
the  village  is  full  of  wicked  sorcerers.  Gradually  the  village  it- 
self becomes  infected  by  his  fears.  The  people  grow  suspicious. 
Chance  turns  their  suspicions  to  some  unlucky  individual  who  is 
supposed  to  have  a  reason  for  a  grudge.  Finally,  the  excitement 
becomes  too  high  to  be  restrained;  and  often  they  do  not  even 
wait  for  a  death,  but  begin  at  once  the  work  of  butchering  those 
on  whom  public  suspicion  is  fastened.  At  least  seventy -five  per 
cent,  of  the  deaths  in  all  the  tribes  are  murders  for  supposed  sor- 
cery. 

In  such  cases,  the  influence  of  the  ouganga,  or  doctor,  is  always 
potent  for  evil.  He  gains  in  power  by  every  such  scene ;  and  it 
is  his  interest,  therefore,  to  foster  rather  than  to  restrain  the  ex- 
citement. His  incantations  are  waited  upon  with  breathless  in- 
terest, and  woe  to  the  luckless  man  or  woman  who  has  offended 


THE  OUGANGA  A  DOCTOR. 


887 


him,  for  now  he  has  his  revenge.  His  decisions  follow  often  the 
prejudices  of  the  multitude,  who  have  suspected  beforehand  those 
that  are  thought  to  be  possessed  of  the  aniemba.  From  the  doc- 
tor's decision  there  is  no  appeal  but  that  of  the  mboundou. 

The  ogounga,  or  doctor,  is  a  personage  whose  chief  powers  are 
the  ability  (which  is  real)  to  drink  great  quantities  of  the  mboun- 
dou poison,  and  the  power  (which  is  imaginary)  to  discover  sor- 
cerers, and  to  confer  powers  on  greegrees  and  charms,  which, 
without  his  manipulations,  are  worthless.  This  personage  enjoys, 
therefore,  great  consequence  in  his  tribe  or  village.  His  word  is 
potent  for  life  or  death.  At  his  command — or  rather  at  his  sug- 
gestion— the  village  is  removed ;  men,  women,  and  children  are 
slain  or  enslaved ;  wars  are  begun  and  ended.  I  was  never  able 
to  satisfy  myself  on  the  interesting  point  whether  these  doctors 
were  themselves  deceived ;  but,  after  close  observation  and  many 
trials,  I  conclude  that  they  are  in  most  cases.  One  or  two  I  knew 
to  be  so  great  rascals  that  I  felt  pretty  sure  they  were  also  hum- 
bugs. But  the  great  majority  were,  I  am  confident,  victims  to 
their  own  delusions.  The  African  has  a  peculiarly  excitable  tem- 
perament. I  noticed  that  doctors,  like  other  men,  when  on  their 
death-beds,  always  laid  their  death  at  the  door  of  some  malignant 
sorcerer,  and  called  for  vengeance  upon  him.  They  are  subject 
to  the  same  fears  as  their  dupes,  and  have  as  great  confidence  in 
their  own  dreams. 

The  region  in  which  I  traveled  is  so  amply  blessed  with  rains 
that  there  is  no  necessity  for  the  "  rain-maker,"  who  is  so  import- 
ant a  member  of  a  South  African  tribe.  But  in  some  tribes  there 
are  ougangas  who  pretend  to  the  power  to  stop  the  rains,  and 
gain  great  honors  by  these  pretensions  in  the  rainy  season,  when, 
if  they  really  owned  the  skill  they  aspired  to,  they  would  often 
be  most  useful  to  the  poor  wet,  uncomfortable  traveler. 

On  the  eve  of  all  the  more  important  undertakings  of  the  vil- 
lage or  tribe  a  doctor  is  consulted,  who  pretends  to  be  able,  by 
certain  ceremonies  of  divination,  to  foretell  the  issue,  and  by  this 
they  shape  their  conduct.  It  sometimes  happens,  too,  that  a 
negro,  not  a  doctor,  is  seized  with  the  belief  that  Obambou  (a 
devil)  is  in  his  body.  The  bowels  are  the  seat  of  this  possession  ; 
and  the  possessed  goes  about  in  a  wild  way — sees  visions,  dreams 
dreams,  and  pretends  to  foresee  future  events,  gaining  sometimes 
considerable  temporary  prestige. 


388  FIRST  KNOWLEDGE  OF  ANTHROPOID  APES. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Summary  Account  and  Comparison  of  the  great  Apes  of  Africa :  the  Troplodytes 
Gorilla,  the  T.  Kooloo - Kamba,  the  Chimpanzee  (T.  niger),  and  the  Nshiego 
Mbouve,  or  T.  calvus. 

In  this  chapter  I  propose  to  give  the  reader,  in  a  collected 
form,  the  results  of  my  researches  into  the  habits  of  those  species 
of  man-like  apes  which  I  met  in  the  forests  of  Equatorial  Africa. 
Of  these  the  gorilla  is  the  chief ;  and  I  was  the  first  white  man 
who  has  systematically  hunted  this  beast,  and  who  has  at  all  pen- 
etrated to  its  haunts.  The  others  —  the  Troglodytes  calvus,  or 
nshiego  mbouve,  and  the  T.  Kooloo-Kamba — I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  be  the  first  to  make  know^,  by  preserved  specimens  and 
by  description.  Such  particulars  as  have  been  mentioned  already 
in  the  course  of  this  narrative  I  shall  not  repeat  here,  it  being  my 
wish  to  give  in  this  place  only  a  general  view  of  these  animals — 
their  structure,  habits,  and  modes  of  life — such  as  would  have  un- 
duly interrupted  the  narrative,  and  been  less  satisfactory  to  the 
reader,  had  it  been  interspersed  in  various  places  there. 

For  several  centuries  naturalists  had  been  vaguely  cognizant 
of  the  existence  of  a  very  peculiar  and  remarkable  species  of  ape 
in  "Western  Africa.  It  was  named  by  Tyson,  in  1699,  the  Homo 
sylvestris,  or  Pigmy.  Linnaeus,  in  some  of  the  editions  of  his 
Systema  Nature?,  calls  it  the  Homo  Troglodytes.  Blumenbach 
named  it  the  Simia  Troglodytes,  and  under  this  name  the  chim- 
panzee afterward  became  generally  known.  This — the  chimpan- 
zee— was  the  first  species  of  anthropophoid  ape  known  to  the 
scientific  world. 

Later,  naturalists  became  acquainted  with  another  species, 
brought  from  Borneo — the  orang-outang.  This  animal  differed 
from  the  African  ape  in  being  covered  with  reddish-brown  hair. 
It  was  called  Simia  satyrus. 

In  1780  the  skeleton  of  another  large  ape  was  sent  from  Ba- 
tavia  to  Holland  by  Baron  Wurmb,  the  resident  governor,  who 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


389 


called  it  the  pongo.  It  received  from  naturalists  the  name  Poitgo 
Wurmbi. 

Up  to  the  year  1829,  when  Cuvier  revised  his  summary  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  animal  kingdom  in  his  Regne  Animal,  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  anthropophoid  apes  was  limited  to  these  three  species. 

It  was  long  suspected  by  eminent  naturalists  that  the  pongo  of 
Wurmb  was  but  the  adult  form  of  the  orang.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  was  found  that  the  facial  angle  of  the  young  orang  of 
Borneo,  and  of  the  young  chimpanzee  of  Africa,  by  the  predom- 
inant cranium  and  small  jaws  and  teeth,  approached  nearer  than 
any  other  known  mammalian  to  the  human  species,  and  especially 
to  the  lower  negro  forms.  This  was  the  opinion  of  leading  com- 
parative anatomists,  some  of  whom  maintained  that  these  forms 
belonged  to  or  denoted  separate  and  advanced  species,  until,  in 
1835,  Professor  Eichard  Owen,  the  illustrious  British  comparative 
anatomist,  investigated  the  state  of  dentition  of  these  heads,  and 
established  the  fact  that  they  belonged  to  the  young  of  a  larger 
species. 

In  1812  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire  made  the  genus  Troglodytes  for  the 
chimpanzee,  and  this  classification  has  been  adopted  by  all  who 
have  come  after  him. 

Meantime  there  had  been  vague  rumors  of  the  existence  in  Af- 
rica of  another  and  larger  species  of  ape.  It  was  not,  however, 
till  1847  that  the  scientific  world  was  startled  by  unexpected  evi- 
dence of  the  existence  of  this  new  species.  A  skull  was  discov- 
ered accidentally,  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1846,  by  Bev.  Dr. 
J.  Leighton  Wilson,  now  of  New  York,  and  then  a  missionary  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  on  the  Gaboon,  West  Africa.  Dr.  Wilson  after- 
ward obtained  another  skull  and  part  of  a  skeleton,  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Boston  Natural  History  Society. 

The  first  discovered  skull  Dr.  Wilson  presented  to  Dr.  Savage, 
of  Boston,  who  afterward  procured  another,  the  skull  of  a  female; 
and  from  these  various  bones  Dr.  Savage  and  Professor  Jeffries 
Wyman  made  the  descriptive  memoirs  printed  in  vol.  v.  of  the 
Boston  Journal  of  Natural  History,  by  which  the  existence  of  this 
new  and  singular  animal  was  first  announced  to  the  scientific 
world.* 

*  Other  memoirs  are  in  vols.  v.  and  vi.  of  the  Bost.  Jour,  of  Nat.  Hist.,  by  Prof. 
Jeffries  Wyman,  describing  four  crania  and  a  skeleton ;  in  vols.  iii.  and  iv.  of  the 
Transact,  of  the  Zoological  Soc.  of  London,  by  Prof.  Richard  Owen,  describing  the 


390 


HANNO'S  VOYAGE. 


This  brings  me  to  an  examination  of  the  accounts  brought  by 
various  travelers,  from  Hanno  down  to  a  recent  period,  of  an  ani- 
mal resembling  more  or  less  the  real  gorilla,  and  which  have  been 
supposed  to  allude  to  that  animal,  and  to  be  evidence  that  they 
saw  and  killed  it.  The  record  of  Hanno's  voyage  is  one  of  the 
most  curious  fragments  of  antiquity  remaining  to  us.  His  voy- 
age is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  in  the  sixth  century  before 
Christ,  though  some  critics  place  it  at  a  much  later  period.  He 
was  sent  out  by  the  government  of  Carthage  to  circumnavigate 
the  African  continent.  His  journal  begins  with  the  following 
sentence,  which  sufficiently  relates  the  object  of  his  voyage :  "  It 
was  decreed  by  the  Carthaginians  that  Hanno  should  undertake  a 
voyage  beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  and  found  Lybo-Phceni- 
cian  cities.  He  accordingly  sailed  with  sixty  ships  of  fifty  oars 
each,  and  a  body  of  men  and  women  to  the  number  of  thirty 
thousand,  with  provisions  and  other  necessaries."  According  to 
Pliny,  he  was  to  follow  the  coast-line  of  the  continent  till  he  reach- 
ed the  Arabian  Gulf. 

The  passage  in  the  Periplus,  or  voyage  of  Hanno,  in  which  it  is 
supposed  he  alludes  to  the  animal  now  known  as  the  gorilla,  reads 
as  follows :  "  On  the  third  day,  having  sailed  from  thence,  passing 
the  streams  of  fire,  we  came  to  a  bay  called  the  Horn  of  the  South. 
In  the  recess  was  an  island  like  the  first,  having  a  lake,  and  in 
this  there  was  another  island  full  of  wild  men.  But  much  the 
greater  part  of  them  were  women  with  hairy  bodies,  whom  the 
interpreters  called  gorillas.  *  *  But  pursuing  them,  we  were 
not  able  to  take  the  men  ;  they  all  escaped  from  us  by  their  great 
agility,  being  cremnobates  (that  is  to  say,  climbing  precipitous 
rocks  and  trees),  and  defending  themselves  by  throwing  stones  at 
us.  "We  took  three  women,  who  bit  and  tore  those  who  caught 
them,  and  were  unwilling  to  follow.  We  were  obliged,  therefore, 
to  kill  them,  and  took  their  skins  off,  which  skins  were  brought 
to  Carthage,  for  we  did  not  navigate  farther,  provisions  becoming 
scarce." 

According  to  Pliny,  the  skins  were  hung  in  the  temple  of  Juno, 

skeleton ;  in  vols,  xxxvi.  and  xxxvii.  of  the  Comptes  Rendus  de  l'Academie  des  Sci- 
ences, by  Duvernay ;  and  in  vol.  x.  of  the  Archives  du  Museum  d'Histoire  Xaturelle, 
by  Isidore  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire.  Dr.  Wyman  and  Dr.  Savage  named  the  new  ani- 
mal the  gorilla,  a  name  Applied  by  Hanno,  an  old  Carthaginian  navigator,  to  the 
wild  hairy  men  which  he  found  on  the  coast  of  Africa. 


HANNO  DID  NOT  SEE  THE  TRUE  GORDLLA. 


391 


and  the  name  gorillas  was  changed  to  gorgones.  Two  of  these 
skins  were  yet  in  the  temple  at  the  time  when  Carthage  was 
taken.  "Penetravit  in  eas  (Gorgades  Insulas)  Hanno  Poenorum 
imperator,  prodiditque  hirta  feminarum  corpora,  viros  pernicitate 
evassisse,  duarumque  gorgonum  cutes  argumenti  et  miraculi  gra- 
tia in  Junonis  templo  posuit,  spectatas  usque  ut  Carthaginem 
captam." 

Comparing  this  account  with  the  habits  of  the  gorilla,  as  set 
forth  farther  on,  I  believe  the  reader  will  join  me  in  the  conclusion 
that  the  animal  seen  and  captured  by  Hanno  was  not  the  gorilla 
of  our  day,  though  it  may  have  been  the  chimpanzee.  The  huge 
gorilla  consumes  so  great  an  amount  of  vegetable  food  that  no 
considerable  number  could  have  found  sustenance  on  an  island 
such  as  Hanno  mentions.  Moreover,  unless  its  habits  have  un- 
dergone a  very  great  change,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  males  would 
have  retreated  and  left  their  females  in  the  lurch.  In  my  expe- 
rience, the  male  invariably  advances  toward  the  foe,  and  secures 
the  safe  retreat  of  its  female,  and  on  such  occasions  acts  with  fero- 
cious courage.  Again,  to  capture  even  a  female  gorilla  by  hand 
and  by  simple  force  is,  I  think,  impossible.  No  one  who  has  seen 
the  animal  in  its  native  forests,  and  watched  the  exhibition  of  its 
enormous  strength,  would  believe  it. 

It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  Hanno  met  only  the  Troglo- 
dytes niger,  or  chimpanzee,  which  is  common  in  the  mountains 
and  forests  of  Senegambia,  and  which  does  not  attack  man. 
Even  of  this,  however,  I  doubt  if  his  men  captured  any  adult 
specimens.  They  took,  probably,  some  half-grown  females,  who 
were  not  active  enough  to  get  away. 

Andrew  Battel,  an  African  traveler,  whose  adventures  were 
taken  down  by  Purchas,  and  printed  in  his  "Pilgrims,"  is  the 
first  in  modern  times  who  makes  mention  of  two  different  African 
apes,  the  pongo  and  the  engeco.  He  was  for  a  while  prisoner  to 
the  Portuguese  in  Angola,  and  has  this  passage  on  the  apes : 

"  The  greatest  of  these  two  monsters  is  called  pongo  in  their 
language,  and  the  lesser  is  called  engeco.  The  pongo  is  in  all 
proportions  like  a  man,  for  he  is  very  tall,  and  hath  a  man's  face, 
hollow  eyed,  with  long  haires  upon  his  brows.  His  body  is  full 
of  baire,  but  not  very  thicke,  and  it  is  of  a  dunnish  color.  He 
differeth  not  from  man  but  in  his  legs,  for  they  have  no  calfe. 
He  goeth  alwaies  upon  his  legs,  and  carrieth  his  hands  clasped  on 


392  BATTEL'S  ACCOUNT. 

the  nape  of  his  necke  when  he  goeth  upon  the  ground.  They 
sleepe  in  trees,  and  build  shelter  for  the  raine.  They  feed  upon 
the  fruit  that  they  find  in  the  woods,  and  upon  ants,  for  they  eate 
no  kind  of  flesh.  They  can  not  speake,  and  have  no  understand- 
ing more  than  a  beast.  The  people  of  the  countrie,  when  they 
travaile  in  the  woods,  make  fires  where  they  sleepe  in  the  night, 
and  in  the  morning,  when  they  are  gone,  the  pongos  will  come  and 
seat  about  the  fire  till  it  goeth  out,  for  they  have  no  understand- 
ing to  lay  the  wood  together.  They  goe  many  together,  and  kill 
many  negroe  that  travaile  in  the  woods.  Many  times  they  fall 
upon  elephants  which  come  to  feed  where  they  be,  and  so  beat 
them  with  their  clubbed  fists  and  pieces  of  wood  that  they  will 
runne  roaring  away  from  them.  The  pongos  are  never  taken 
alive,  because  they  are  so  strong  ten  men  can  not  hold  one  of 
them ;  but  they  take  many  of  their  young  ones  with  poisoned  ar- 
rows. The  young  pongo  hangeth  on  his  mother's  belly  with  his 
hands  fast  clasped  about  her,  so  that,  when  the  country  people 
kill  any  of  the  females,  they  take  the  young  which  hangs  fast 
upon  the  mother.  When  they  die  among  themselves,  they  cover 
the  dead  with  great  heapes  of  boughs  and  wood,  which  is  com- 
monly found  in  the  forests."* 

This  description  of  Battel  seems  to  me  the  nearest  correct  of 
any  down  to  Bowditch,  of  whom  I  am  presently  to  speak.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  gorilla  is  not  found  south  of  the  Setti-Camma  Biver. 
this  being  the  last  point  to  which  I  have  been  able  to  trace  it. 
The  language  of  the  Mayomba  people  has  some  affinity  to  that 
of  the  Mpongwe,  though  greatly  differing  from  it.  The  word 
engeco,  which  is  applied  by  Battel  to  the  smallest  of  the  monster 
apes,  is  undoubtedly  the  nshiego  of  the  Mpongwe  and  Camma 
tribes  of  this  day.  As  for  the  word  pongos,  I  am  at  a  loss.  It 
can  not  apply  to  the  Mpongwe  tribe,  for  this  tribe  has  emigrated 
to  the  Gaboon  within  this  century ;  three  of  the  Ndina,  the  former 
possessors  of  the  river,  remaining  alive  to  this  day ;  and  in  An- 
drew Battel's  time  the  Mpongwe  tribe  were  living  far  in  the  in- 
terior, and  their  name  was  unknown,  supposing  them  to  have  had 
even  existence  as  a  tribe  then.  Unfortunately,  I  was  unacquaint- 
ed with  Battel's  story  when  I  was  in  Africa,  or  I  should  have  in- 
quired among  the  Mayomba  people  as  to  the  origin  and  meaning 
of  the  name,  if,  indeed,  any  traces  of  the  word  remain  after  more 

*  Purchas,  His  Pilgrims.  Part  ii.,  p.  9S4.    London,  1623. 


BOSMAN'S  ACCOUNT. 


393 


than  three  centuries,  which  seems  to  me  very  doubtful.  Allow- 
ing that  Battel  knew  the  gorilla  and  chimpanzee,  the  reader  will 
see  that  he  made  many  serious  errors  in  his  descriptions  of  their 
habits  and  appearance.  His  stories  are  mere  travelers'  tales,  and 
are  untrue  of  any  of  the  great  apes  of  Africa. 

After  him  come  other  travelers,  who  tell,  however,  such  absurd 
and  incredible  stories  that  it  is  plainly  to  be  perceived  how  they 
added  themselves  to  the  already  sufficiently  exaggerated  reports 
of  the  negroes. 

Temminck  quotes,  in  his  Esquisses  Zoologiques  upon  the  coast 
of  Guinea,  a  passage  of  Bosman,  which  seems  to  refer  to  the  go- 
rilla and  chimpanzee.  If  it  is  to  be  counted  any  thing  more  than 
a  fable,  it  is  a  very  exaggerated  and  untrustworthy  account. 
Bosman  says:  "They  [these  apes]  are  in  this  country  by  thou- 
sands. The  first  and  most  common  are  those  which  are  called 
by  our  people  smitten.  They  are  fawn-colored,  and  become  very 
tall.  I  have  seen  some  with  my  own  eyes  who  are  five  feet  high, 
and  somewhat  smaller  than  a  man.  They  are  very  wicked  and 
bold ;  and  what  an  English  merchant  told  me  appears  incredible, 
that  there  is,  back  of  the  fort  the  English  have  at  Wimba,  a  great 
quantity  of  these  monkeys,  who  are  so  bold  that  they  attack  men." 

Bosman  continues :  "  There  are  negroes  who  affirm  that  these 
monkeys  can  speak,  but  that  they  will  not,  in  order  not  to  work. 
These  monkeys  have  an  ugly  face,"  and  so  on.  "  The  best  thing 
about  these  kind  of  monkeys  is  that  they  can  be  taught  every 
thing  their  master  desires." 

Passing  by  several  other  travelers'  tales  of  this  kind,  we  come 
at  last  to  the  first  real  account  of  the  gorilla.  This  was  given 
by  T.  E.  Bowditch,  in  his  account  of  a  mission  from  Cape  Coast 
Castle  to  Ashantee,  published  in  London,  1819.  He,  too,  is  the 
first  to  call  it  by  its  Mpongwe  name.  In  that  part  of  his  work 
relating  his  visit  to  the  Gaboon,  he  says :  "  The  favorite  and  most 
extraordinary  subject  of  our  conversation  on  natural  history  was 
the  ingena,  an  animal  like  the  orang-outang,  but  much  exceeding 
it  in  size,  being  five  feet  high  and  four  across  the  shoulders.  Its 
paw  was  said  to  be  even  more  disproportioned  than  its  breadth, 
and  one  blow  of  it  to  be  fatal.  It  is  seen  commonly  by  them 
when  they  travel  to  Kaybe,  lurking  in  the  bush  to  destroy  pas- 
sengers, and  feeding  principally  on  wild  honey,  which  abounds. 
Among  other  of  their  actions  reported  without  variation  by  men, 


391  GORILLA  STORIES. 

women,  and  children  of  the  Mpongwe  and  Sheekai  [Shekiani],  is 
that  of  building  a  house  in  rude  imitation  of  the  natives,  and 
sleeping  outside  on  the  roof  of  it."* 

So  far  all  travelers  spoke  either  of  the  chimpanzee  (Troglody- 
tes nigcr),  or  related  hearsay  accounts  of  the  gorilla.  It  remain- 
ed for  Rev.  Dr.  Wilson,  an  American  missionary,  to  present  to  the 
world  the  first  real  evidence  of  the  existence  of  this  monstrous 
animal ;  and  for  Dr.  Savage  and  Prof.  Jeffries  Wyman,  the  cele- 
brated comparative  anatomist,  of  Boston,  to  give  to  natural  his- 
tory the  first  memoirs  of  the  skeleton  and  cranium.  Still,  no 
traveler  or  resident  had  succeeded  in  following  the  animal  to  its 
haunts  in  the  unknown  regions  of  the  interior,  and  such  particu- 
lars of  its  habits  as  came  to  Europe  and  America  were  obtained 
from  the  natives,  whose  dread  of  the  monstrous  beast  fills  their 
minds  with  superstitious  ideas  of  its  nature,  and  exaggerated  no- 
tions of  its  habits. 

My  long  residence  in  Africa  gave  me  superior  facilities  for  in- 
tercourse with  the  natives,  and  as  my  curiosity  was  greatly  ex- 
cited by  their  reports  of  this  unknown  monster,  I  determined  to 
penetrate  to  its  haunts  and  see  with  my  own  eyes.  It  has  been 
my  fortune  to  be  the  first  white  man  who  can  speak  of  the  gorilla 
from  personal  knowledge ;  and  while  my  experience  and  obser- 
vation prove  that  many  of  the  actions  reported  of  it  are  false  and 
vain  imaginings  of  ignorant  negroes  and  credulous  travelers,  I 
can  also  vouch  that  no  description  can  exceed  the  horror  of  its 
appearance,  the  ferocity  of  its  attack,  or  the  impish  malignity  of 
its  nature. 

I  am  sorry  to  be  the  dispeller  of  such  agreeable  delusions;  but 
the  gorilla  does  not  lurk  in  trees  by  the  roadside,  and  drag  up  un- 
suspicious passers-by  in  its  claws,  and  choke  them  to  death  in  its 
vice-like  paws ;  it  does  not  attack  the  elephant  and  beat  him  to 
death  with  sticks ;  it  does  not  carry  off  women  from  the  native 
villages ;  it  does  not  even  build  itself  a  house  of  leaves  and  twig? 
in  the  forest-trees  and  sit  on  the  roof,  as  has  been  confidently  re- 
ported of  it.  It  is  not  gregarious  even ;  and  the  numerous  sto- 
ries of  its  attacking  in  great  numbers  have  not  a  grain  of  truth  in 
them. 

It  lives  in  the  loneliest  and  darkest  portions  of  the  dense  African 
jungle,  preferring  deep  wooded  valleys  and  also  rugged  heights. 

*  Mission  to  Ashantee,  p.  440. 


/ 


HABITS  OF  THE  GORILLA.  395 

The  high  plains  also,  whose  surface  is  strewn  with  immense  boul- 
ders, seem  to  be  favorite  haunts.  "Water  is  found  every  where  in 
this  part  of  Africa,  but  I  have  noticed  that  the  gorilla  is  always 
found  very  near  to  a  plentiful  supply. 

It  is  a  restless  and  nomadic  beast,  wandering  from  place  to 
place,  and  scarce  ever  found  for  two  days  together  in  the  same 
•  neighborhood.  In  part,  this  restlessness  is  caused  by  the  struggle 
it  has  to  find  its  favorite  food.  The  gorilla,  though  it  has  such 
immense  canines,  and  though  its  vast  strength  doubtless  fits  it  to 
capture  and  kill  almost  every  animal  which  frequents  the  for- 
ests, is  a  strict  vegetarian.  I  examined  the  stomachs  of  all  which 
I  was  lucky  enough  to  kill,  and  never  found  traces  there  of  aught 
but  berries,  pine-apple  leaves,  and  other  vegetable  matter.  It  is 
a  huge  feeder,  and  no  doubt  soon  eats  up  the  scant  supply  of  its 
natural  food  which  is  found  in  any  limited  space,  and  is  then 
forced  to  wander  on  in  constant  battle  with  famine.  Its  vast 
paunch,  which  swells  before  it  when  it  stands  upright,  proves  it 
to  be  a  great  feeder ;  and,  indeed,  its  great  frame  and  enormous 
muscular  development  could  not  be  supported  on  little  food. 

It  is  not  true  that  it  lives  much  or  at  all  on  trees.  By  the  ex- 
amination of  the  stomach  of  many  specimens,  I  was  able  to  ascer- 
tain with  tolerable  certainty  the  nature  of  its  food,  and  I  discov- 
ered that  for  all /found  it  had  no  need  to  ascend  trees.  It  is 
fond  of  the  wild  sugar-cane ;  especially  fond  of  the  white  ribs  of 
the  pine-apple  leaf;  and  it  eats,  besides,  certain  berries  which 
grow  close  to  the  ground ;  the  pith  of  some  trees,  and  a  kind  of 
nut  with  a  very  hard  shell.  This  shell  is  so  hard  that  it  requires 
a  strong  blow  with  a  heavy  hammer  to  break  it ;  and  here  is 
probably  one  purpose  of  that  enormous  strength  of  jaw  which 
long  seemed  to  me  thrown  away  on  a  non-carnivorous  animal, 
and  which  is  sufficiently  evidenced  by  the  manner  in  which  the 
barrel  of  the  musket  of  one  of  my  unfortunate  hunters  was  flat- 
tened by  an  enraged  male  gorilla. 

Only  the  young  gorillas  sleep  on  trees,  for  protection  from  wild 
beasts.  I  have  myself  come  upon  fresh  traces  of  a  gorilla's  bed 
on  several  occasions,  and  could  see  that  the  male  had  seated  him- 
self with  his  back  against  a  tree-trunk.  In  fact,  on  the  back  of  the 
male  gorilla  there  is  generally  a  patch  on  which  the  hair  is  worn 
thin  from  this  position,  while  the  nest-building  Troglodytes  calvus, 
or  bald-headed  nshiego,  which  constantly  sleeps  under  its  leafy 


396  COURAGE  OF  THE  MALE  GORILLA. 

shelter  on  a  tree-branch,  has  this  bare  place  at  its  side,  and  in  quite 
a  different  way.  I  believe,  however,  that  while  the  male  always 
sleeps  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  or  elsewhere  on  the  ground,  the  female 
may  sometimes  ascend  to  the  tree-top,  as  I  have  seen  marks  of 
such  ascension. 

Those  apes  which  live  much  in  trees,  as  the  chimpanzee,  have 
fingers  on  both  their  fore  and  hind  feet  much  longer  than  the  go-9 
rilla's,  which,  indeed,  approximate  much  nearer  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  human  hand  and  foot,  and  are,  by  reason  of  this  differ- 
ent construction,  greatly  unfitted  for  tree-climbing. 

The  gorilla  is  not  gregarious.  Of  adults,  I  found  almost  al- 
ways one  male  with  one  female,  though  sometimes  the  old  male 
wanders  companionless.  In  such  cases,  as  with  the  "  rogue"  ele- 
phant, he  is  particularly  morose  and  malignant,  and  dangerous  to 
approach.  Young  gorillas  I  found  sometimes  in  companies  of 
five ;  sometimes  less,  but  never  more.  The  young  always  runs 
'  off,  on  all  fours,  shrieking  with  fear.  They  are  difficult  to  ap- 
proach, as  their  hearing  is  acute,  and  they  lose  no  time  in  making 
their  escape,  while  the  nature  of  the  ground  makes  it  hard  for  the 
hunter  to  follow  after.  The  adult  animal  is  also  shy,  and  I  have 
hunted  all  day  at  times  without  coming  upon  my  quarry,  when  I 
felt  sure  that  they  were  carefully  avoiding  me.  When,  however, 
at  last  fortune  favors  the  hunter,  and  he  comes  accidentally  or  by 
good  management  upon  his  prey,  he  need  not  fear  its  running 
away.  In  all  my  hunts  and  encounters  with  this  animal,  I  never 
knew  a  grown  male  to  run  off.  When  I  surprised  a  pair  of  go- 
rillas, the  male  was  generally  sitting  down  on  a  rock  or  against  a 
tree,  in  some  darkest  corner  of  the  jungle,  where  the  brightest 
sun  left  its  traces  only  in  a  dim  and  gloomy  twilight.  The  fe- 
male was  mostly  feeding  near  by ;  and  it  is  singular  that  she  al- 
most always  gave  the  alarm  by  running  off,  with  loud  and  sud- 
den cries  or  shrieks.  Then  the  male,  sitting  for  a  moment  with 
a  savage  frown  on  his  face,  slowly  rises  to  his  feet,  and,  looking 
with  glowing  and  malign  eyes  at  the  intruders,  begins  to  beat  his 
breast,  and,  lifting  up  his  round  head,  utters  his  frightful  roar. 
This  begins  with  several  sharp  barks,  like  an  enraged  or  mad 
dog,  whereupon  ensues  a  long,  deeply  guttural  rolling  roar,  con- 
tinued for  over  a  minute,  and  which,  doubled  and  multiplied  by 
the  resounding  echoes  of  the  forest,  fills  the  hunter's  ears  like  the 
deep  rolling  thunder  of  an  approaching  storm.    I  have  reason  to 


THE  ATTACK  OF  THE  MALE  GORILLA. 


397 


believe  that  I  have  heard  this  roar  at  a  distance  of  three  miles. 
The  horror  of  the  animal's  appearance  at  this  time  is  beyond  de- 
scription. It  seems  as  monstrous  as  a  nightmare  dream — so  im- 
possible a  piece  of  hideousness  that,  were  it  not  for  the  danger  of 
its  savage  approach,  the  hunter  might  fancy  himself  in  some  ugly 
dream.  At  such  a  sight  I  could  forgive  my  brave  native  hunt- 
ers that  they  were  sometimes  overcome  with  superstitious  fears, 
and  ceased  to  wonder  at  the  strange,  weird  "gorilla  stories"  of  the 
negroes. 

It  is  a  maxim  with  the  well-trained  gorilla-hunters  to  reserve 
their  fire  till  the  very  last  moment.  Experience  has  shown  them 
that — whether  the  enraged  beast  takes  the  report  of  the  gun  for  - 
an  answering  defiance,  or  for  what  other  reason  unknown — if  the 
hunter  fires  and  misses,  the  gorilla  at  once  rushes  upon  him ;  and 
this  onset  no  man  can  withstand.  One  blow  of  that  huge  paw, 
with  its  bony  claws,  and  the  poor  hunter's  entrails  are  torn  out, 
his  breast-bone  broken,  or  his  skull  crushed.  It  is  too  late  to  re- 
load, and  flight  is  vain.  There  have  been  negroes  who  in  such 
cases,  made  desperate  by  their  frightful  danger,  have  faced  the 
gorilla,  and  struck  at  him  with  the  empty  gun.  But  they  had 
time  for  only  one  harmless  blow.  The  next  moment  the  huge 
arm  came  down  with  fatal  force,  breaking  musket  and  skull  with 
one  blow.  I  imagine  no  animal  is  so  fatal  in  its  attack  on  man 
as  this,  for  the  reason  that  it  meets  him  face  to  face,  and  uses  its 
arms  as  its  weapons  of  offense,  just  as  a  man  or  a  prize-fighter 
would — only  that  it  has  longer  arms,  and  vastly  greater  strength 
than  the  strongest  boxer  the  world  ever  saw. 

Now  the  gorilla  is  only  met  in  the  most  dark  and  impenetra- 
ble jungle,  where  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  clear  aim,  unobstructed  by 
vines  and  tangled  bushes,  for  any  distance  greater  than  a  few 
yards.  For  this  reason,  the  gorilla-hunter  wisely  stands  still  and 
awaits  the  approach  of  the  infuriated  beast.  The  gorilla  advances 
by  short  stages,  stopping  to  utter  his  diabolical  roar  and  to  beat 
his  vast  breast  with  his  paws,  which  produce  a  dull  reverbera- 
tion as  of  an  immense  bass-drum,  which  sound  I  have  heard  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile.  His  walk  is  a  waddle,  from  side  to  side, 
his  hind  legs — which  are  very  short — being  evidently  somewhat 
inadequate  to  the  proper  support  of  the  huge  superincumbent 
body.  He  balances  himself  by  swinging  his  arms,  somewhat  as 
sailors  walk  on  shipboard ;  and  the  vast  paunch,  the  round  bul- 


398 


DEATH  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


let-head  joined  awkwardly  to  the  trunk  with  scarce  a  vestige  of 
neck,  and  the  great  muscular  arms,  and  deep,  cavernous  breast, 
give  to  this  waddle  an  ungainly  horror,  which  adds  to  his  ferocitv 
of  appearance.  At  the  same  time,  the  deep-set  gray  eyes  sparkle 
out  with  gloomy  malignity ;  the  features  are  contorted  in  hideous 
wrinkles ;  and  the  slight,  sharply-cut  lips,  drawn  up,  reveal  the 
long  fangs  and  the  powerful  jaws,  in  which  a  human  limb  would 
be  crushed  as  a  biscuit. 

The  hunter,  looking  with  fearful  care  to  his  priming,  stands 
still,  gun  in  hand,  often  for  five  weary  minutes,  waiting  with  grow- 
ing nervousness  for  the  moment  when  he  may  relieve  his  sus- 
pense by  firing.  I  have  never  fired  at  a  male  at  greater  distance 
than  eight  yards,  and  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  feet  is  the  usual 
shot.  At  last  the  opportunity  comes ;  and  now  the  gun  is  quick- 
ly raised,  a  moment's  anxious  aim  at  the  vast  breadth  of  breast, 
and  then  pull  trigger. 

In  shooting  the  hippopotamus  at  night  and  on  shore,  the  ne- 
gro always  scampers  off  directly  he  has  fired  his  gun.  When  he 
has  fired  at  the  gorilla  he  stands  still.  I  asked  why  they  did  not 
run  in  this  case  too,  and  was  answered  that  it  was  of  no  use. 
To  run  would  be  fatal.  If  the  hunter  has  missed,  he  must  battle 
for  his  life  face  to  face,  hoping  by  some  piece  of  unexpected  good 
fortune  to  escape  a  fatal  blow,  and  come  off,  perhaps,  maimed  for 
life,  as  I  have  seen  several  in  the  up-river  villages.  Fortunately, 
the  gorilla  dies  as  easily  as  man  ;  a  shot  in  the  breast,  if  fairly  de- 
livered, is  sure  to  bring  him  down.  He  falls  forward  on  his  face, 
his  long,  muscular  arms  outstretched,  and  uttering,  with  his  last 
breath,  a  hideous  death-cry,  half  roar,  half  shriek,  which,  while  it 
announces  his  safety  to  the  hunter,  yet  tingles  his  ears  with  a 
dreadful  note  of  human  agony.  It  is  this  lurking  reminiscence 
of  humanity,  indeed,  which  makes  one  of  the  chief  ingredients  of 
the  hunter's  excitement  in  his  attack  of  the  gorilla. 

The  common  walk  of  the  gorilla  is  not  on  his  hind  legs,  but  on 
all-fours.  In  this  posture,  the  arms  are  so  long  that  the  head  and 
breast  are  raised  considerably,  and  as  it  runs  the  hind  legs  are 
brought  far  beneath  the  body.  The  leg  and  arm  on  the  same 
side  move  together,  which  gives  the  beast  a  curious  waddle.  It 
can  run  at  great  speed.  The  young,  parties  of  which  I  have  oft- 
en pursued,  never  took  to  trees,  but  ran  along  the  ground,  and  at 
a  distance,  with  their  bodies  half  erect,  looked  not  unlike  negroes 


THE  GORILLA  UNTAMABLE. 


899 


making  off  from  pursuit.  I  have  never  found  the  female  to  at- 
tack, though  I  have  been  told  by  the  negroes  that  a  mother  with 
a  young  one  in  charge  will  sometimes  make  fight.  It  is  a  pretty 
thing  to  see  such  a  mother  with  the  baby  gorilla  sporting  about 
it.  I  have  watched  them  in  the  wood,  till,  eager  as  I  was  to  ob- 
tain specimens,  I  had  not  the  heart  to  shoot.  But  in  such  cases 
my  negro  hunters  exhibited  no  tender-heartedness,  but  killed  their 
quarry  without  loss  of  time. 

When  the  mother  runs  off  from  the  hunter,  the  young  one 
grasps  her  about  the  neck,  and  hangs  beneath  her  breasts  with  its 
little  legs  about  her  body. 

I  think  the  adult  gorilla  utterly  untamable.  In  the  course  of 
the  narrative  the  reader  will  find  accounts  of  several  young  go- 
rillas which  my  men  captured  alive,  and  which  remained  with  me 
for  short  periods  till  their  deaths.  In  no  case  could  any  treatment 
of  mine,  kind  or  harsh,  subdue  these  little  monsters  from  their 
first  and  lasting  ferocity  and  malignity.  The  young  of  the  nsMe- 
go  bouve  (T.  calvus),  on  the  contrary,  is  very  easily  tamed,  and  I 
had  one  for  some  months  as  a  companion.  The  young  orang  and 
chimpanzee  have  been  frequently  tanked.  Of  the  new  and  rare 
kooloo-kamba  I  was  not  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  a  living  speci- 
men. But  the  gorilla  is  entirely  and  constantly  an  enemy  to 
man ;  resenting  its  captivity,  young  as  my  specimens  were ;  re- 
fusing all  food  except  the  berries  of  its  native  woods,  and  attack- 
ing with  teeth  and  claws  even  me,  who  was  in  most  constant  at- 
tendance upon  them ;  and  finally  dying  without  previous  sick- 
ness, and  without  other  ascertainable  cause  than  the  restless  chaf- 
ing of  a  spirit  which  could  not  suffer  captivity  nor  the  presence 
of  man. 

The  young  of  the  chimpanzee  is  yellow ;  that  of  the  nshiego 
bouve  is  a  very  pale  white ;  but  the  young  gorilla  is  coal-black. 
Even  the  youngest  I  got,  which  was  a  mere  baby  in  arms,  and 
could  not  walk,  was  black  as  jet. 

The  strength  of  the  gorilla  is  evidently  enormous.  A  young 
one  of  between  two  and  three  years  of  age  required  four  stout 
men  to  hold  it,  and  even  then,  in  its  struggles,  bit  one  severely. 
That  with  its  jaws  it  can  dent  a  musket  barrel,  and  with  its  arms 
break  trees  from  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  sufficiently  proves 
that  its  vast  bony  frame  has  corresponding  muscle.  The  negroes 
never  attack  them  with  other  weapons  than  guns;  and  in  those 


400 


MOTIONS  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


parts  of  the  far  interior  where  no  European  guns  had  yet  reached, 
as  among  the  Apingi,  this  great  beast  roamed  unmolested,  the 
monarch  of  the  forest.  To  kill  a  gorilla  gives  a  hunter  a  life-long 
reputation  for  courage  and  enterprise  even  among  the  bravest  of 
the  negro  tribes,  who  are  generally,  it  may  be  said,  not  lacking  in 
tins  quality  of  courage. 

The  gorilla  has  no  cries  or  utterances  that  I  have  heard  except 
those  already  described,  the  short,  sharp  bark,  and  the  roar  of  the 
attacking  male,  and  the  scream  of  the  female  and  young  when 
alarmed ;  except,  indeed,  a  low  kind  of  cluck,  with  which  the 
watchful  mother  seems  to  call  her  child  to  her.  The  young  ones 
have  a  cry  when  in  distress,  but  their  voice  is  harsh,  and  it  is 
more  a  moan  of  pain  than  a  child's  cry. 

It  uses  no  artificial  weapon  of  offense,  but  attacks  always  with 
its  arms,  though  in  a  struggle  no  doubt  the  powerful  teeth  would 
play  a  part.  I  have  several  times  noticed  skulls  in  which  the 
huge  canines  were  broken  off,  not  icorn  down,  as  they  are  in  al- 
most all  the  adult  gorillas  by  gnawing  at  trees  which  they  wish- 
ed to  break,  and  which,  without  being  gnawed  into,  are  too  strong 
even  for  them.  The  negroes  informed  me  that  such  teeth  were 
broken  in  combats  between  the  males  for  the  possession  of  a  fe- 
male, and  I  think  this  quite  probable.  Such  a  combat  must  form 
a  magnificent  and  awful  spectacle.  A  struggle  between  two  well- 
matched  gorillas  would  exceed  in  that  kind  of  excitement  which 
the  Romans  took  such  delight  in,  any  thing  in  that  line  which 
they  were  ever  gratified  with. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  gorilla  walks  in  an  erect  posture 
with  greater  ease  and  for  a  longer  time  than  either  the  chimpan- 
zee or  nshiego  bouve.  When  standing  up,  his  knees  are  bent  at 
the  joints  outward,  and  his  back  has  a  stoop  forward.  His  track, 
when  running  on  all-fours,  is  peculiar.  The  hind  feet  leave  no 
traces  of  their  toes  on  the  ground.  Only  the  ball  of  the  foot  and 
that  thumb  which  answers  to  our  great  toe  seem  to  touch.  The 
fingers  of  the  fore  hand  are  only  lightly  marked  on  the  ground. 

The  natives  of  the  interior  are  very  fond  of  the  meat  of  the  go- 
rilla and  other  apes.  Gorilla-meat  is  dark  red  and  tough.  The 
sea-shore  tribes  do  not  eat  it,  and  are  insulted  by  the  offer  of 
it,  because  they  suspect  some  affinity  between  the  animal  and 
themselves.  In  the  interior  some  families  refuse  to  eat  gorilla- 
meat  from  the  superstitious  belief  explained  elsewhere,  that  at 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


401 


some  time  one  of  their  female  ancestors  has  brought  forth  a 
gorilla.    The  skin  is  thick  and  firm  as  an  ox-hide. 

I  do  not  give  here  any  account  of  other  superstitions  of  the  ne- 
groes concerning  the  gorilla,  because  they  are  fully  detailed  in 
other  parts  of  the  book. 

In  height  adult  gorillas  vary  as  much  as  men.  The  adult 
males  in  my  collection  range  from  five  feet  two  inches  to  five  feet 
eight ;  and  the  parts  of  a  skeleton  which  my  friend  Prof.  Jeffries 
AYyman  has,  are  so  much  larger  than  any  in  my  possession,  that 
I  am  warranted  in  concluding  the  animal  to  which  it  belonged  to 
have  been  at  least  six  feet  two  inches  in  height.  The  female  is 
much  smaller,  less  strong,  and  of  lighter  frame.  One  adult  female 
in  my  collection  measured,  when  shot,  four  feet  six  inches. 

The  color  of  the  skin  in  the  gorilla,  young  as  well  as  adult,  is 
intense  black.  This  color  does  not  appear,  however,  except  in 
the  face,  on  the  breast,  and  in  the  palms  of  the  hands.  The  hair 
of  a  grown,  but  not  aged  specimen,  is  in  color  iron-gray.  The 
individual  hairs  are  ringed  with  alternate  stripes  of  black  and 
gray,  which  produces  the  iron-gray  color.  On  the  arms  the  hair 
is  darker  and  also  much  longer,  being  sometimes  over  two  inches 
long.  It  grows  upward  on  the  fore  arm  and  downward  on  the 
main  arm.  Aged  gorillas,  the  negroes  told  me,  turn  quite  gray 
all  over ;  and  I  have  one  huge  male  in  my  collection  whose  worn- 
out  tusks  show  great  age,  and  whose  color  is,  in  fact,  a  dirty  gray. 
The  head  is  covered  with  reddish-brown  hair,  short,  and  extend- 
ing almost  to  the  neck,  or  where  the  neck  should  be. 

In  the  adult  male  the  chest  is  bare.  In  the  young  male  it  is 
thinly  covered  with  hair.  In  the  female  the  mammae  have  but  a 
slight  development,  and  the  breast  is  bare.  The  color  of  the  hair 
in  the  female  is  black,  with  a  decided  tinge  of  red.  The  hair  on 
the  arms  is  but  little  longer  than  that  on  the  body,  and  is  of  a 
like  color.  The  reddish  crown  which  covers  the  scalp  of  the 
male  is  not  apparent  in  the  female  till  she  is  grown. 

In  both  male  and  female  the  hair  is  found  worn  off  on  the  back. 
This  is  occasioned,  I  suppose,  by  their  resting  at  night  against 
trees,  at  whose  base  they  sleep. 

The  eyes  of  the  gorilla  are  deeply  sunken,  the  immense  over- 
hanging bony  frontal  ridge  giving  to  the  face  the  expression  of  a 
constant  savage  scowl.  The  mouth  is  wide,  and  the  lips  are 
sharply  cut,  exhibiting  no  red  on  the  edges,  as  in  the  human  face. 

C  c 


402 


THE  HEAD  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


The  jaws  are  of  tremendous  weight  and  power.  The  huge  ca- 
nines of  the  male,  which  are  fully  exhibited  when,  in  his  rage,  he 
draws  back  his  lips,  lend  additional  ferocity  to  his  aspect.  In  the 
female  these  canines  are  smaller. 

The  almost  total  absence  of  neck,  which  gives  the  head  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  set  into  the  shoulders,  is  due  to  the  backward 
position  of  the  juncture  of  the  head  with  the  trunk.  The  brain- 
case  is  low  and  compressed,  and  the  lofty  ridge  of  the  skull 
causes  the  cranial  profile  to  describe  an  almost  straight  line  from 
the  occiput  to  the  supraorbital  ridge.  The  immense  development 
of  the  temporal  muscles  which  arise  from  this  ridge,  and  the  cor- 
responding size  of  the  jaw,  are  evidences  of  the  great  strength  of 
the  animal. 


The  eyebrows  are  thin,  but  not  well  defined,  and  are  almost  lost 
in  the  hair  of  the  scalp.  The  eyelashes  are  thin  also.  The  eyes 
are  wide  apart;  the  ears  are  smaller  than  those  of  man,  and  in 
form  closely  resemble  the  human  ear.  They  are  almost  on  the 
same  parallel  with  the  eyes.  In  a  front  view  of  the  face  the  nose 
is  flat,  but  somewhat  prominent,  more  so  than  in  any  other  ape ; 
this  on  account  of  a  slightly  projecting  nose-bone.  The  gorilla  is 
the  only  ape  which  shows  such  a  projection,  and  in  this  respect  it 
comes  nearer  to  man  than  any  other  of  the  man-like  apes. 

The  profile  of  the  trunk  shows  a  slight  convexity.  The  chest 
is  of  great  capacity ;  the  shoulders  exceedingly  broad :  the  pec- 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


403 


toral  regions  show  slightly  projecting  a  pair  of  nipples,  as  in  the 
other  apes  and  in  the  human  species.  The  abdomen  is  of  im- 
mense size,  very  prominent,  and  rounding  at  the  sides.  The 
arms  have  prodigious  muscular  development,  and  are  very  long, 
extending  as  low  as  the  knees.  The  fore-arm  is  nearly  of  uni- 
form size  from  the  wrist  to  the  elbow.  The  great  length  of  the 
arms  and  the  shortness  of  the  legs  form  one  of  the  chief  devia- 
tions from  man.  The  arms  are  not  so  long  when  compared  with 
the  trunk,  but  they  are  so  in  comparison  with  the  legs.  These 
are  short,  and  decrease  in  size  from  below  the  knee  to  the  ankle, 
having  no  calf.  The  superior  length  of  the  arm  (humerus)  in 
proportion  to  the  fore-arm,  brings  the  gorilla,  in  that  respect,  in 
closer  anthropoid  affinities  with  man  than  any  of  the  other  apes. 

The  hands  of  the  animal,  especially  in  the  male,  are  of  immense 
size,  strong,  short,  and  thick.  The  fingers  are  short  and  of  great 
size,  the  circumference  of  the  middle  finger  at  the  first  joint  being 
in  some  gorillas  over  six  inches.  The  skin  on  the  back  of  the 
fingers,  near  the  middle  phalanx,  is  callous  and  very  thick,  which 
shows  that  the  most  usual  mode  of  progression  of  the  animal  is  on 
all-fours,  and  resting  on  the  knuckles.  The  thumb  is  shorter 
than  in  man,  and  not  half  so  thick  as  the  fore-finger.  The  hand 
is  hairy  as  far  as  the  division  of  the  fingers,  those,  as  in  man,  be- 
ing covered  with  short  thin  hairs.  The  palm  of  the  hand  is  na- 
ked, callous,  and  intensely  black.  The  nails  are  black,  and  shaped 
•  like  those  of  man,  but  smaller  in  proportion,  and  projecting  very 
slightly  beyond  the  ends  of  the  fingers.  They  are  thick  and 
strong,  and  always  seem  much  worn.  The  hand  of  the  gorilla 
is  almost  as  wide  as  it  is  long,  and  in  this  it  approaches  nearer 
to  those  of  man  than  any  of  the  other  apes. 

The  foot  is  proportionally  wider  than  in  man.  The  sole  is  cal- 
lous and  intensely  black,  and  looks  somewhat  like  a  giant  hand 
of  immense  power  and  grasp.  The  transverse  wrinkles  show 
the  frequency  and  freedom  of  movement  of  the  two  joints  of  the 
great  toe,  proving  that  they  have  a  power  of  grasp.  The  mid- 
dle toe,  or  third,  is  longer  than  the  second  and  fourth,  the  fifth 
proportionally  shorter,  as  in  man. 

The  toes  are  divided  into  three  groups,  so  to  speak.  Inside  the 
great  toe,  outside  the  little  toe,  and  the  three  others  partly  united 
by  a  web.  The  two  joints  of  the  great  toe  measured,  in  one  spec- 
imen, six  and  a  half  inches  in  circumference.    As  a  whole,  the 


404 


THE  CHIMPANZEE. 


foot  of  the  gorilla  presents  a  great  likeness  to  the  foot  of  man. 
and  by  far  more  so  than  in  any  other  ape.  In  no  other  animal 
is  the  foot  so  well  adapted  for  the  maintenance  of  the  erect  po- 
sition. Also,  the  gorilla  is  much  less  of  a  tree-climber  than  any 
other  ape.  The  foot  in  the  gorilla  is  longer  than  the  hand,  as  in 
man,  while  in  the  other  apes  the  foot  is  somewhat  shorter  than 
the  hand.  The  hair  on  the  foot  comes  to  the  division  of  the  toes, 
and  those  are  slightly  covered  with  thin  hair. 

Of  the  chimpanzee  {Troglodytes  niger),  an  animal  long,  though 
not  very  thoroughly  known  to  naturalists,  I  regret  that  I  have 
nothing  new  to  state.  Though  found  in  all  the  regions  which  I 
visited,  it  is  every  where  very  rare.  I  killed  one  and  saw  anoth- 
er in  my  Cape  Lopez  expedition,  and,  in  my  earlier  days  in  Af- 
rica, I  for  a  short  time  owned  two  young  living  specimens.  Both* 
of  these  died,  however,  before  I  was  able  to  make  any  observations 
upon  their  peculiarities.  The  zoological  gardens  and  menageries 
of  Europe  have  at  different  times  had  several  specimens  of  the 
young  of  this  ape. 

The  chimpanzee  differs  from  the  gorilla  in  these  chief  particu- 
lars :  It  is  a  great  tree-climber,  passing  much  of  its  time  among 
the  branches  of  the  great  trees  of  tropical  Africa.  It  is,  though 
untamable  when  grown,  still  not  fierce  and  malign  like  the  goril- 
la. It  has  never  been  known  to  attack  man,  and  its  young  are 
tractable  and  easily  tamed.  Where  the  gorilla  resists  man,  the 
chimpanzee  flies  to  the  densest  woods.  It  is  therefore  hunted 
with  even  greater  difficulty  than  the  gorilla. 

Like  its  great  congener,  it  is  not  gregarious.  The  young  con- 
sort in  small  companies,  but  the  adults  go  in  pairs  or  singly.  The 
young  have  a  yellow  face,  which  changes  to  an  intense  black  as 
they  grow  older.  They  are  difficult  to  keep  in  a  state  of  captivi- 
ty, dying  almost  invariably  of  consumption  or  dysentery. 

I  do  not  know  of  an  instance  of  an  adult  chimpanzee  being 
caught  alive,  and  think,  on  account  of  their  shyness  and  activity, 
it  would  be  a  very  difficult  animal  to  capture.  Here  I  may  ob- 
serve that,  though  the  negroes  are  very  ingenious  in  their  con- 
trivance of  traps  for  nearly  all  the  greater  beasts  of  the  forest, 
catching  by  various  devices  not  only  the  elephant,  hippopotamus, 
antelope,  and  deer,  but  even  the  leopard,  I  know  of  no  case  in 
which  an  ape  of  any  kind  was  caught  in  this  way. 

The  chimpanzee  is  remarkable  for  its  unusually  great  geograph- 


* 


/ 


>SlIlEUO  AND  YOl'NG. 


THE  NSHIEGO  MBOUVE. 


407 


ical  range.  It  is  found  from  Gambia,  in  every  degree  of  latitude, 
down  to  the  parallel  of  St.  Philipe  Benguela.  The  whole  of  this 
large  region  is  densely  wooded,  which  is  necessary  for  the  ani- 
mal's existence ;  but  there  are  very  considerable  variations  in  the 
climate,  such  as  the  other  apes  do  not  seem  to  bear. 

Its  food  consists  of  berries,  leaves,  and  nuts.  So  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  ascertain,  it  builds  no  shelter,  like  the  nshiego  mbou- 
ve.  In  the  Cape  Lopez  country  I  examined  and  inquired  dili- 
gently, but  could  find  no  trace  of  any  such  habit,  although  the 
negroes  are  familiar  with  the  animal.  In  the  Gaboon  country  the 
chimpanzee  is  called  nshiego ;  in  the  interior  it  is  known  as  the 
ncheko,  a  name  which  very  much  resembles  that  of  the  leopard 
— n'gego. 

The  nshiego  mbouve  {Troglodytes  calvus)  has  a  much  narrower 
range  than  the  chimpanzee,  and  even  than  the  gorilla.  I  found 
it  only  in  the  table-lands  of  the  interior  and  in  the  densest  forests. 
I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  found  indifferently  in  the 
haunts  of  the  gorilla  in  the  farther  interior,  and  do  not  know 
that  the  two  species  quarrel.  It  differs  from  the  gorilla  in  being 
smaller,  milder,  far  more  docile,  less  strong,  and  in  the  singular 
habit  of  building  for  itself  a  nest  or  shelter  of  leaves  amid  the 
higher  branches  of  trees.  I  have  watched,  at  different  times,  this 
ape  retiring  to  its  rest  at  night,  and  have  seen  it  climb  up  to  its 
house  and  seat  itself  comfortably  on  the  projecting  branch,  with  its 
head  in  the  dome  of  the  roof,  and  its  arm  about  the  tree.  The  shel- 
ter is  made  of  leaves  compactly  laid  together,  so  as  easily  to  shed 
rain.  The  branches  are  fastened  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  with 
vines,  in  which  these  forests  greatly  abound.  The  roof  is  gener- 
ally from  six  to  eight  feet  in  its  greatest  diameter,  and  has  the 
exact  shape  of  an  extended  umbrella.  There  are  mostly  two  of 
these  shelters  in  adjoining  trees,  from  which  I  conclude  that  male 
and  female  live  together  all  the  year.  The  young  probably  stay 
with  the  parents  till  old  enough  to  build  nests  of  their  own. 
The  ingenuity  and  intelligence  shown  in  this  contrivance  always 
struck  me  as. something  quite  marvelous.  It  is  certainly  some- 
thing which  the  gorilla  is  not  at  all  capable  of. 

The  distinctive  marks  of  the  T.  calvus,  those  which  prove  it  to 
be  a  distinct  species,  may  be  stated  as  follows :  its  head  is  bald, 
and  shining  black ;  its  temper  is  not  fierce  like  the  gorilla's ;  its 
young  is  white,  while  the  young  gorilla  is  black,  and  the  young 


408 


THE  KOOLO-KAMBA. 


chimpanzee  yellow.  Its  head  is  nearly  round,  and  bullet-formed ; 
the  nose  is  very  flat ;  the  ears  larger  than  in  the  gorilla,  but  small- 
er than  in  the  kooloo-kamba  and  chimpanzee  ;  the  eyes  sunken ; 
the  teeth  and  canines  small  when  compared  with  the  gorilla's. 
The  arms  reach  a  little  below  the  knee.  The  hands  are  long  and 
slender ;  the  foot  shorter  than  the  hand.  The  toes  are  f  ree.  The 
callosities  on  the  back  of  the  fingers  show  that  this  animal  goes 
commonly  on  all-fours,  and  rests  its  weight  on  the  doubled-up 
hands.  The  hair  is  of  one  uniform  rusty -black  color.  The  male 
is  larger  than  the  female. 

I  can  not  tell  if  this  animal  would  attack  man  if  it  were  only 
wounded,  but  I  doubt.  Its  docility,  when  young,  makes  it  very 
strikingly  different  from  the  gorilla. 

Lastly,  we  come  to  the  kooloo-kamba.  This  ape,  whose  singu- 
lar cry  distinguishes  it  at  once  from  all  its  congeners  in  these 
wilds,  is  remarkable,  as  bearing  a  closer  general  resemblance  to 
man  than  any  other  ape  yet  known.  It  is  very  rare,  and  I  was 
able  to  obtain  but  one  specimen  of  it.  This  is  smaller  than  the 
adult  male  gorilla,  and  stouter  than  the  female  gorilla.  The 
head  is  its  most  remarkable  point.    This  struck  me  at  once  as 


HEAD  OF  KOOLOO-KAJIBA. 

having  an  expression  curiously  like  to  an  Esquimaux  or  China- 
man. The  face  is  bare  and  black.  The  forehead  is  higher  than 
in  any  other  ape,  and  the  cranial  capacity  greater  by  measure- 
ment. The  eyes  are  wider  apart  than  in  any  other  ape.  The 
nose  is  flat.  The  cheek-bones  are  high  and  prominent,  and  the 
cheeks  sunken  and  "lank."  The  ridge  over  the  eyes  is  well 
marked.    The  muzzle  is  less  prominent  and  broader  than  in  the 


EAR  OF  KOOL  O-KAMB A. 


409 


other  apes.  The  sides  of  the  face  are  covered  with  a  growth  of 
straight  hair,  which,  meeting  under  the  chin  like  the  human 
whiskers,  gives  the  face  a  remarkably  human  look.  The  arms 
reach  below  the  knee.  The  hair  on  the  arms  meets  at  the  el- 
bow, growing  upward  on  the  fore-arm  and  downward  on  the  arm. 
The  body  is  hairy.  The  shoulders  are  broad;  the  hands  long 
and  narrow,  showing  it  to  be  a  tree-climber.  The  arms  and 
hands  are  very  muscular.  The  abdomen  is  very  prominent,  as 
it  is  in  the  gorilla.  The  ears  are  very  large,  and  are  more  nearly 
like  the  human  ear  than  those  of  any  other  ape.    The  subjoined 


cut  is  from  a  drawing  made  with  great  care  from  my  specimen, 
and  shows  this  singular  ear  very  correctly. 

The  gorilla  has  been  mentioned  by  different  travelers  under 
the  following  names  :  pongo,  by  Battel,  1629 ;  ingena,  Bowditch, 
1819 ;  enge-ena,  Savage,  1847 ;  enge-ena  or  inge-ena,  Gauler  La- 
baily,  1849  ;  ngena,  Ford,  1852  ;  ngina  or  gina,  Admiral  Eenaud, 
1852;  d'jina,  Auly  Lecompte,  1854-57.  Except  "pongo,"  all 
these  names  are  various  spellings  of  the  Mpongwe  name  for  the 
gorilla,  which  is  ngena,  as  given  by  the  Bev.  Dr.  J.  L.  Wilson  in 
his  "Western  Africa."  In  the  Mpongwe  language,  as  in  some 
of  the  South  African  tongues,  most  of  the  words  have  the  prefix 
of  either  n  or  m. 

The  chimpanzee,  which  I  suppose  Hanno  to  have  called  gorilla, 
and  Pliny  gorgone,  is  called  engeco  by  Battel,  1625 ;  pygmie,  by 
Tyson,  in  his  Anatomy  of  a  Pygmie,  1699  ;  chimpanzee,  by  Grave- 
let,  1738  ;  enjolco,  jocko,  or  petit  ourang-outang,  by  Buffon,  1766  ; 
pongo,  by  Buffon,  in  1786  ;  inchego,  by  Bowditch,  1819  ;  enche-eco, 
by  Savage,  in  1847  ;  ntchego,  by  Trauguet,  in  1852 ;  nchego,  by  Au- 
brey Lecomte,  1854-7 ;  most  of  which  are  variations,  again,  of  the 


EAR  OF  KOOLOO-KAMliA. 


410  NATIVE  NAMES. 

Camma  name,  which,  according  to  our  English  mode  of  spelling, 
.should  be,  as  I  have  given  it,  "  nshiego.  The  nshiego  is  the  ne- 
gro name  for  the  true  chimpanzee ;  and  the  new  species,  which 
I  first  discovered,  and  to  which  the  name  Troglodytes  calvus  has 
been  given,  they  call  the  nshiego  mbouve,  or  bald-headed  nshiego. 
The  Troglodytes  kooloo-kamba  they  know  as  the  kooloo-kamba, 
or  simply  as  the  koola. 


AUTHORITIES. 


411 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

On  the  bony  Structure  of  the  Gorilla  and  other  African  Apes. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  anatomy  of  the  great  African 
apes ;  and  I  propose  to  speak  more  especially  of  those  points 
of  structure  wherein  these  animals  most  nearly  resemble  man. 
I  should  state  here  that  naturalists  have  not,  thus  far,  been  able 
to  agree  on  this  question.  Some  have  given  to  the  gorilla  the 
honor  of  approximating  nearest  to  man  in  structure,  while  others 
reserve  this  for  the  chimpanzee.  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman,  the  ac- 
complished and  distinguished  comparative  anatomist  of  Harvard 
University,  was  the  first  to  give  a  scientific  account  of  the  cra- 
nium and  of  a  part  of  the  skeleton  of  the  gorilla  in  1847.  To 
him  belongs  the  honor  of  having  first  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  scientific  world  this  wonderful  animal.  In  1849,  Dr/ 
Wyman  gave  another  description  of  two  additional  crania  of  the 
gorilla.  In  these  memoirs  he  classified  this  animal  in  the  genus 
Troglodytes. 

In  1848,  Professor  Eichard  Owen,  the  learned  curator  of  the 
British  Museum,  published  an  account  of  the  gorilla  in  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  and  in  this  he  agreed 
with  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman,  and  retained  the  gorilla  in  the  genus 
Troglodytes.  Since  1848,  that  illustrious  zootomist  has  written 
several  memoirs,  giving  extended  definitions  of  the  anatomical 
structure  of  the  gorilla. 

Professor  Duvernay  and  Professor  Isidore  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire, 
of  Paris,  have  written  long  memoirs  on  the  comparative  anatomy 
of  this  wonderful  animal ;  and  both,  after  very  able  scientific  de- 
scription, consider  the  differences  in  the  osteology,  dentition,  and 
outward  character  of  the  gorilla  to  be  of  sufficient  generic  im- 
portance to  create  the  genus  gorilla.  They  give  the  trivial  name 
of  ngina  to  the  animal. 

Professors  Duvernay,  St.  Hilaire,  and  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman  agree 
in  putting  the  gorilla  below  the  chimpanzee  in  its  anthropoid 
character,  while  Professor  Owen  is  of  opinion  that  the  gorilla  is 


412        ANTHROPOID  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  T.  GORILLA. 


nearer  akin  to  man  than  tlie  T.  niger  or  chimpanzee,  and  does  not 
think  that  the  anatomical  peculiarities  of  the  animal  are  sufficient 
to  make  a  new  genus.  On  this  last  point  he  agrees  with  Dr. 
Wyman. 

The  most  important  anthropoid  characters  of  the  gorilla,  which 
are  referred  to  by  Professor  Owen  in  his  first  memoir,  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  1st.  The  coalesced  central  margins  of  the  nasals  are  projected 
forward,  thus  offering  a  feature  of  approximation  to  the  human 
structure,  which  is  very  faintly  indicated,  if  at  all,  in  the  T.  niger 
[or  chimpanzee]. 

"  2d.  The  inferior  or  alveolar  part  of  the  premaxillarics,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  shorter  and  less  prominent  in  the  T.  gorilla  than 
in  the  T.  niger ;  and  in  that  respect  the  larger  species  deviate  less 
from  man. 

"  3d.  The  next  character,  which  is  also  a  more  anthropoid  one, 
though  explicable  in  relation  to  the  greater  weight  of  the  skull  to 
be  poised  on  the  atlas,  is  the  greater  prominence  of  the  mastoid 
processes  in  the  T.  gorilla,  which  are  only  represented  by  a  rough 
ridge  in  the  T.  niger. 

"  4th.  The  ridge  which  extends  from  the  ecto^teryrjoid  along  the 
inner  border  of  the  foramen  ovale  terminates  in  the  T.  gorilla  by 
an  angle  or  process  answering  to  that  called  '  styliform'  or  spinous 
in  man,  but  of  which  there  is  no  trace  in  the  T.  niger. 

"  5th.  The  palate  is  narrower  in  proportion  to  the  length  in 
the  T.  gorilla,  but  the  premaxillarj^  portion  is  relatively  longer  in 
the  T.  niger."* 

In  1849,  Dr.  "Wyman,  in  referring  to  the  above  memoir  of  Prof. 
Owen,  says,  in  refutation,  and  claiming  for  the  chimpanzee  a 
nearer  affinity  to  man:  "If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  enumerate 
those  conditions  in  which  the  enge-ena  [gorilla]  recedes  farther 
from  the  human  t}rpe  than  the  chimpanzee,  they  will  be  found  by  * 
far  more  numerous,  and  by  no  means  less  important. 

"The  larger  ridge  over  the  eyes,  and  the  crest  on  the  top  of 
the  head  and  occiput,  with  the  corresponding  development  of  the 
temporal  muscles,  form  the  most  striking  features.  The  submax- 
illary bones  articulating  with  the  nasals,  as  in  the  other  quadru- 
mana  and  most  brutes ;  the  expanded  portion  of  the  nasals  be- 
tween the  frontals,  or  an  additional  osseous  element  of  this  prove 

*  Op.  cit.,  vol.  iii.,  Transactions  of  the  Zoological  Society,  1S4S. 


PROFESSOR  WYMAN'S  REMARKS. 


413 


an  independent  bone;  the  vertically  broader  and  more  arched 
zygomata,  contrasting  with  the  more  slender  and  horizontal  ones 
of  the  chimpanzee;  the  more  quadrate  foramen  lacerum  of  the 
orbit ;  the  less  perfect  infra-orbital  canal ;  the  orbits  less  dis- 
tinctly defined;  the  larger  and  more  tumid  cheek-bones;  the 
more  quadrangular  nasal  orifice,  which  is  depressed  on  the  floor ; 
the  greater  length  of  the  ossa  palati ;  the  more  widely-expanded 
tympanic  cells,  extending  not  only  to  the  mastoid  process,  but  to 
the  squamous  portion  of  the  temporal  bones — these  would,  of 
themselves,  be  sufficient  to  counterbalance  all  the  anatomical 
characters  of  the  (enge-ena)  gorilla. 

"  When,  however,  we  add  to  them  the  more  quadrate  outline 
of  the  upper  jaws ;  the  existence  of  much  larger  and  more  deep- 
ly-grooved canines;  molars  with  cups  on  the  outer  side,  longer 
and  more  sharply-pointed;  the  dentes  sapientise  of  equal  size 
with  the  other  molars;  the  prominent  ridge  between  the  outer 
posterior  and  the  anterior  inner  cups;  the  absence  of  a  crista- 
galli;  a  cranial  cavity  almost  wholly  behind  the  orbits  of  the 
eyes ;  the  less  perfectly-marked  depressions  for  the  cerebral  con- 
volutions; and,  above  all,  the  small  cranial  capacity  in  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  the  body,  no  reasonable  grounds  for  doubt  re- 
main that  the  enge-ena  occupies  a  lower  position,  and  conse- 
quently recedes  farther  from  man  than  the  chimpanzee." 

Prof.  Wyman  goes  on  to  say : 

"  It  does  not  appear  that  any  other  bones  of  the  skeletons  have 
as  yet  fallen  into  the  hands  of  any  European  naturalists.  A  de- 
scription of  some  of  the  more  important  of  them  will  be  found  in 
the  memoir  above  referred*  to,  in  which  it  will  be  seen  that  there 
are  two  anthropoid  features  of  some  importance,  which  go  to  sup- 
port the  views  advanced  by  Prof.  Owen.  These  are  the  com- 
parative length  of  the  humerus  and  ulna,  the  former  being  sev- 
enteen and  the  latter  only  fourteen  inches,  and  the  proportions 
of  the  pelvis.  This  last  is  of  gigantic  size,  and  is  a  little  shorter 
in  proportion  to  its  breadth  than  in  the  niger.  r 

"  While  the  proportions  of  the  ulna  and  humerus  are  more 
nearly  human  than  in  the  chimpanzee,  those  of  the  humerus  and 
femur  recede  much  farther  from  the  human  proportions  than  they 
do  in  the  chimpanzee,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  measures: 

*  Journal  of  the  Boston  Natural  History  Society,  vol.  v.,  p.  41 7. 


414 


COMPARISON  OF  T.  GORILLA  AND  T.  NIGER. 


Humerus.  Femur. 

Man                                                      15.0  „  18.5 

Chimpanzee....                                           10.9  11.0 

Enge-ena                                                17.0  H.O 

"  Thus  in  man  the  femur  is  three  inches  longer  than  the  hu- 
merus. In  the  chimpanzee  these  bones  are  nearly  of  the  same 
length ;  and  in  the  enge-ena  the  humerus  is  three  inches  longer 
than  the  femur,  indicating,  on  the  part  of  the  enge-ena,  a  less  per- 
fect adaptation  to  locomotion  in  the  erect  position  than  in  the 
chimpanzee." 

My  own  observations  have  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
gorilla  walks  more  often  in  the  erect  posture  than  the  chimpan- 
zee, and  in  this  I  agree  with  the  conclusion  of  Prof.  Owen. 

In  1853, 1855,  and  1859,  Prof.  Owen  wrote  several  very  minute 
memoirs  from  the  entire  skeleton,  and  in  these  is  always  of  the 
opinion  that  the  gorilla  is  the  nearest  akin  to  man. 

"Among  the  closer  anthropoid  affinities  of  the  gorilla,''  he  says, 
"  very  significant  of  the  closer  affinities  of  the  gorilla  is  the  su- 
perior length  of  arm  (humerus)  to  the  fore-arm,  as  compared  with 
the  proportions  of  those  parts  in  the  chimpanzee." 

"  In  the  hind  limbs,  chiefly  noticeable  was  the  first  appearance, 
in  a  quadrumanous  series,  of  a  muscular  development  of  the  glu- 
teus, causing  a  small  buttock  to  project  over  each  tuber  ischii. 
This  structure,  with  the  peculiar  expanse  (in  quadrumaua)  of  the 
iliac  bones,  leads  to  an  inference  that  the  gorilla  must  naturally, 
and  with  more  ease,  resort  occasionally  to  station  and  progression 
on  the  lower  limbs  than  any  other  ape."* 

This  statement,  as  quoted  above,  agrees  entirely  with  my  own 
observations. 

"  The  arms  in  man  reach  to  below  the  middle  of  the  thigh ; 
in  the  gorilla  they  reach  nearly  to  the  knee,  and  in  the  chimpan- 
zee they  reach  below  the  knee.  *  *  *  *  The  humerus  in 
the  gorilla,  though  less  long,  compared  with  the  ulna,  than  in 
m»n,  is  longer  than  in  the  chimpanzee."f 

"  The  scapula?  are  broader  in  the  gorilla  than  in  the  chimpan- 
zee, and  come  nearer  to  the  proportion  of  that  bone  in  man.  But 
a  more  decisive  resemblance  to  the  human  structure  is  present- 
ed by  the  iliac  bones.    In  no  other  ape  than  the  gorilla  do  they 

*  On  the  Classification  and  Geographical  Distribution  of  the  3famma!ia.  etc.,  etc., 
1859.  pp.  70  and  71.  t  Ibid.,  p.  78. 


FOOT  OF  THE  GORILLA.  415 

bend  forward  so  as  to  produce  a  pelvic  concavity ;  nor  are  they 
so  broad,  in  proportion  to  their  length,  in  any  ape  as  in  the  go- 
rilla. 

"  The  lower  limbs,  though  characteristically  short  in  the  gorilla, 
are  longer  in  proportion  to  the  upper  limbs,  and  also  to  the  entire 
trunk,  than  in  the  chimpanzee.  *  *  *  *  But  the  guiding- 
points  of  comparison  here  are  the  heel  and  the  hallux  (great  toe, 
or  thumb  of  the  foot). 

"  The  heel  in  the  gorilla  makes  a  more  decided  backward  pro- 
jection than  in  the  chimpanzee ;  the  heel-bone  is  relatively  thick- 
er, deeper,  more  expanded  vertically  at  its  hind  end,  besides  being 
fully  as  long  as  in  the  chimpanzee:  it  is  in  the  gorilla  shaped 
and  proportioned  more  like  the  human  calcaneum  than  in  any 
other  ape.    *   *   *  * 

"  Although  the  foot  be  articulated  to  the  leg  with  a  slight  in- 
version of  the  sole,  it  is  more  nearly  plantigrade  in  the  gorilla 
than  in  the  chimpanzee.    *    *    *  "x" 

"The  great  toe,  which  forms  the  fulcrum  in  standing  or  walk- 
ing, is,  perhaps,  the  most  characteristic  peculiarity  in  the  human 
structure ;  it  is  that  modification  which  differentiates  the  foot 
from  the  hand,  and  gives  the  character  of  his  order  (Bimana). 
In  the  degree  of  its  approach  to  this  development  of  the  hallux 
(big  toe),  the  quadrumanous  animal  makes  a  true  step  in  affinity 
to  man.    *    *    *  * 

"  In  the  chimpanzee  and  gorilla  the  hallux  reaches  to  the  end 
of  the  first  phalanx  of  the  second  toe,  but  in  the  gorilla  it  is 
thicker  and  stronger  than  in  the  chimpanzee.  In  both,  however, 
it  is  a  true  thumb  by  position,  diverging  from  the  other  toes  in 
the  gorilla  at  an  angle  of  60°  from  the  axis  of  the  foot."* 

"  In  the  greater  relative  size  of  the  molars  compared  with  the 
incisors,  the  gorilla  makes  an  important  closer  step  toward  man 
than  does  the  chimpanzee.    *    *    *  * 

"  In  the  chimpanzee  the  four  lower  incisors  occupy  an  extent 
equal  to  that  of  the  first  three  molars,  *  *  *  *  while  in 
man  the  four  are  equal  to  the  two  first  molars  and  half  of  the 
third.  In  this  comparison,  the  term  molar  is  applied  to  the  bi- 
cuspid."f 

"  The  proportion  of  the  ascending  ramus  to  the  length  of  the 
lower  jaw  tests  the  relative  affinity  of  the  tailless  apes  to  man. 

*  Owen,  pp.  79,  80.  f  Ibid.,  p.  83. 


416  RELATIVE  POSITION  OF  THE  APES. 

"In  a  profile  of  the  lower  jaw,  compare  the  line  drawn  verti- 
cally from  the  top  of  the  coronoid  process  to  the  horizontal 
length  along  the  alveoli :  in  man  and  the  gorilla  it  is  about  seven 
tenths,  in  the  chimpanzee  six  tenths. 

"  Every  legitimate  deduction  from  a  comparison  offcranial  charac- 
ters makes  the  tailless  qv.adrumana  recede  from  the  human  type 
in  the  following  order :  gorilla,  chimpanzee,  orang,  gibbon."* 

Professor  Isidore  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire  makes  a  new  genus  for 
the  gorilla,  which  he  has  named  Gorilla,  and  has  called  the  only 
species  of  the  genus  thus  named  ngina.  This  arrangement  he 
bases  on  the  following  structural  peculiarities  :f 

"  L'etude  de  la  conformation  generale  de  la  tete  chez  le  gorille, 
des  proportions  des  membres,  et  par  consequent  des  conditions 
generates  de  la  station  et  de  la  progression,  celle  de  la  conforma- 
tion de  ses  mains,  et  de  la  structure  des  machelieres  inferieures, 
nous  ont  egalement  conduit  a  cette  conclusion  confirmee  en 
outre  par  un  grand  nombre  de  faits  secondaires. 

"  Le  gorille  n'appartient  pas  au  genre  Troglodytes ;  il  constitue 
un  genre  distinct,  genre  auquel  restera  sans  doute  applique  le 
nom  que  j'ai  propose"  pour  ce  singe  quelques  jours  apres  son  ar- 
rivee  en  France — gorille  (gorilla). 

"Les  caracteres  principaux  de  ce  genre  peuvent  etre  ainsi  re- 
sumes : 

"  1.  Tete  arondie  dans  le  jeune  age.  Tete  tres  allongee  et 
tres  deprimee,  a,  l'etat  adulte,  les  cretes  cranienes  tres-saillantes. 
Conques  auriculaires  jwtitcs  et  de  forme  humaine. 

"  Membres  anterieiirs  longs  (but  much  less  than  in  the  orangs  and 
gibbons),  leur  extremite  atteignant  1'aninial  dans  debout  le  milieu 
de  la  jambe.  -» 

"Mains  anterieures  larges.  'Ce  caractere  separe  bien  plus  en- 
core le  gorille  de  l'orang  que  du  chimpanzee.'  La  paume  en 
particulier  presque  aussi  large  que  longue  (de  proportion  presque 
exactement  humaine;  les  doigts  courts,  relativement  a  ceux  de 
Thomme  et  du  chimpanzee). 

"Mains  posterieures  allongees,  les  trois  doigts  intermedial  res  (chez 
le  male)  reunis  }iar  des  teguments  jusqiC  a  la  scconde  falange;  ongles 
des  quatre  mains  tres  applatis  comme  chez  l'homme  et  le  chim- 
panzee seuls. 

*  Owen,  p.  84. 

t  See  page  37,  Archives  du  Museum  dTT;stoire  Xafurrfk,  torn,  x.,  liv.  i.  and  ii. 


PLACE  OF  THE  GORILLA. 


417 


"  Les  canines  enormes,  les  incisores  presque  range"  en  ligne 
droite,  les  trois  mdchelieres  inferieures  allongees  d'avant  en  arriere  el 
d  talon. 

"  Les  caracteres  qui  sont  indiques  en  italiques  sont  ceux  que 
distinguent  particulierement  le  genre  gorilla  du  genre  troglo- 
dytes." 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  Prof.  St.  Hilaire  makes  of  the  go- 
rilla the  genus  Gorilla,  and  places  it  nearer  the  Simians  in  some 
respects  than  the  Troglodytes  niger.  His  arrangement  or  order  is 
as  follows:  Homo,  Troglodytes,  Gorilla,  Simia,  Hylobales. 

I  must  own  that,  at  first  sight,  judging  from  the  living  speci- 
men and  from  its  cranium,  the  gorilla  presents  all  the  features  of 
a  far  more  bestial  animal  than  the  T.  calvus,  T  kooloo-kamba,  T. 
niger,  or  the  orang.  All  the  features  of  the  gorilla,  especially  in 
the  male,  are  exaggerated ;  the  head  is  longer  and  narrower ;  the 
brain  is  backward ;  the  cranial  crests  are  of  immense  size ;  the 
jaws  are  very  prominent,  and  show  great  power ;  the  canines  are 
very  large.  The  proper  cavity  of  the  brain  is  marked  by  the  im- 
mense occipital  ridges.  But  the  remainder  of  the  skeleton  of  the 
gorilla  comes  much  nearer  to  that  of  man  than  that  of  any  other 
ape. 

And,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  osteological  facts  which 
have  been  mentioned ;  after  having  observed  the  live  gorilla  and 
studied  carefully  its  mode  of  progression,  I  came  to  the  convic- 
tion that  in  its  mode  of  progression  the  gorilla  is  the  nearest  akin 
to  man  of  all  the  anthropoid  apes. 

In  size  the  gorilla  varies  as  much  as  does  man.  Adult  male 
gorillas  measure  from  five  feet  two  inches  to  six  feet  two  inches. 
Part  of  a  skeleton  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Wyman  shows  that  the 
animal  might  have  reached  the  latter  size  when  extended  on  the 
ground  in  a  perfectly  straight  position ;  but  as  the  gorilla  is  un- 
able to  stand  erect,  the  legs  being  somewhat  bent  and  the  body 
thrown  forward,  the  largest  specimen  would  not  appear  higher 
than  five  feet  nine  inches. 

To  show  the  reader  the  contrast  between  the  bony  structure  of 
man  and  the  gorilla,  I  place  diagrams  of  their  skeletons  side  by 
side  on  the  following  page.  The  accompanying  table  of  measure- 
ments shows  the  points  of  similarity  and  of  difference : 

Dd 


SKELETONS  OF  MAN  AND  THE  GORILLA. 


The  Gorilla  has 
13  pairs  of  ribs. 

7  cervical  vertebra?  (the  true 
vertebrae). 

13  dorsal  do. 

4  lumbar  do. 

5  sacral  do. 

8  carpal  (wrist)  bones. 


Man  has 

12  (and  sometimes  13)  pairs  of  ribs. 

7  cervical  vertebrae. 

12  dorsal  do. 
5  lumbar  do. 
5  sacral  do. 

8  carpal  (wrist)  bones. 


The  T.  calvus  has  sometimes  fourteen  pairs  of  ribs.    Man  has 


ANTHROPOID  CHARACTER  OF  SKELETON.  419 


sometimes  thirteen  pairs  of  ribs ;  but  what  is  termed  ribs  are 
vertebral  elements,  which  are  so  called  when  long  and  free,  and 
this  is  merely  due  to  the  coalescing  of  the  last  lumbar  to  the  first 
sacral  vertebras. 

The  cervical  series  departs  most  from  that  of  man.  All  the 
apes  possess  the  same  number  of  vertebra?  as  man. 

The  gorilla  skeleton,  the  skull  excepted,  resembles  the  bony  frame 
of  man  more  than  that  of  any  other  anthropoid  ape.  In  the  form 
and  proportions  of  the  pelvis,  the  number  of  ribs,  the  length  of  the 
arm,  the  width  of  the  hand,  and  the  structure  and  arches  of  the 
feet — all  these  characteristics,  and  also  some  of  its  habits,  appear 
to  me  to  place  the  gorilla  nearer  to  man  than  any  other  anthro- 
poid ape  is  placed. 

Among  all  the  anthropoid  apes,  the  number  of  teeth  corre- 
sponds with  that  in  the  human  species,  but  the  canines  are  much 
larger,  especially  in  the  male  gorilla.  The  incisors  also  are  large. 
In  the  ape  the  bicuspids  are  implanted  by  three  distinct  fangs, 
two  external  and  one  internal,  and  the  external  one  is  divided. 
In  man  they  are  implanted  by  one  external  and  one  internal ; 
and  in  the  Caucasian  race  the  two  fangs  are  sometimes  united. 

The  skull  here  represented  is  that  of  a  gorilla  shedding  his  milk 


FRONT  VIEW  OF  A  YOUNG  GORILLA'S  SKTTLL. 

teeth.  The  upper  incisors  have  fallen,  and  the  four  permanent 
ones  of  that  jaw  have  made  their  appearance,  while  in  the  lower 
jaw  the  two  lateral  milk  or  first  incisors  are  yet  firmly  in  place, 
and  the  two  central  incisors  of  the  second  growth  have  made  their 
appearance  and  are  half  grown.  , 

The  milk  or  first  canines  are  yet  firmly  in  place,  and,  on  ex- 
tracting one  of  them,  the  nucleus  of  the  second  or  permanent 


420  DENTAL  ARRANGEMENT. 

tooth  is  scarcely  discoverable.  On  withdrawing  one  of  the  bicus- 
pids and  one  of  the  first  molars  of  the  lower  jaw,  the  rudiments 
of  the  permanent  ones  are  perceptible.  In  the  upper  jaw,  the 
first  set  of  bicuspids  and  molars  have  already  been  displaced  by 
the  permanent  set,  and  the  four  wisdom  teeth  of  this  jaw  have 
already  made  their  appearance,  and  are  in  a  more  advanced  con- 
dition than  in  the  lower  jaw. 

The  large  ridge  over  the  eyes  and  the  crest  on  the  top  of  the 
head,  and  extending  over  upon  the  occiput,  together  with  the  cor- 
responding development  of  the  temporal  muscles  and  the  large 


Male. 

FBOOT  VIEW  OF  GORILLA  8KULL8. 

canines,  are  the  main  outward  characters  which  seem  to  remove 
the  gorilla  farther  from  man  than  the  chimpanzee,  and  give  to 
this  animal  so  ferocious  a  look. 

But  in  the  female  gorilla  the  canines  are  not  much  larger,  in 
proportion  to  the  relative  size  of  the  animals,  than  in  the  chimpan- 
zee ;  the  frontal  and  occipital  ridges  of  the  head  are  but  slightly 
marked. 

In  the  female  gorilla  "  with  the  red  rump,"  the  head  of  which 
seems  somewhat  deformed,  the  space  between  the  eyes  is  much 
narrower. 

The  skulls  of  the  T.  m'ger,  or  chimpanzee,  and  T.  calvus  (nschiego 
mbouve),  are  smaller  and  rounder  than  that  of  the  gorilla,  and 
show  more  capacity  relatively  to  their  size  than  that  of  the  male 


CRANIAL  CAPACITY. 


421 


FEMALE  OF  THE  "BED  BUMP"  VARIETY. 

gorilla,  but  I  think  not  much  more  than  that  of  the  female  gorilla. 
That  of  the  kooloo-kamba  has  a  greater  relative  capacity  than 
any  other  of  the  apes. 

The  corresponding  small  amount  of  brain  in  the  male  gorilla, 
and  the  excessive  preponderance  of  the  cerebellum  or  back  brain, 
would  seem  to  corroborate  our  opinion  of  the  excessive  brutality 
of  this  beast. 


Front  View.  Side  View. 

8KTJLL  OF  YOUNG  T.  OALVU8. 


The  changes  which  occur  in  the  development  of  the  female 
gorilla's  skull  from  early  youth  to  adult  life  are  not  so  great  by 
far  as  they  are  in  the  male  gorilla's  skull,  which  may  be  called  a 
complete  metamorphosis. 

The  skulls  of  young  gorillas,  female  and  male,  and  of  the  young 
of  the  chimpanzee  and  other  apes,  are  much  alike,  and  could  hard- 
ly be  recognized  one  from  another.  When  young,  the  head  is 
more  round  and  more  human.  As  the  animal  grows  older,  the 
occiput  becomes  long  and  compressed ;  the  muzzle  becomes  large 
and  projecting ;  the  frontal  ridge,  which  was  small,  becomes  prom- 


422 


COMPARATIVE  VIEW  OF  SKULLS. 


6tI>E  VIEW  OF  SKULL  OF  MALE  GOBOJ.A.. 


COMPARISON  OF  CRANIAL  CAPACITY. 


423 


inent ;  and  the  crests  and  occipital  ridges,  which  are  not  seen  in 
the  young,  become  enormous  in  the  adult  male  gorilla.  This  ap- 
pears to  be,  as  it  doubtless  is,  an  effectual  defense  of  the  mon- 
strous skull  against  the  dangers  of  ferocious  conflicts. 

By  the  following  table  of  measurement,  the  reader  can  form  an 
idea  of  the  comparative  cranial  capacity  of  the  different  apes  of 
Africa.  The  measurements  are  by  my  friend  Professor  Jeffries 
Wyman,  of  Boston. 

CRANIAL  CAPACITY  OF  ADULT  CHIMPANZEE,  NSHIEGO,  AND  KOOLOO-KAMBA. 

Cubic  Inches.  Authority. 

I.  Chimpanzee   26   Dr.  J.  Wyman. 

II.          "                            24   " 

HI.          "                            22   " 

IV.  Nshiego                           22   " 

V.  Kooloo-kamba                   25   ': 

VI.  Chimpanzee                      20   " 

VII.  Nshiego.   18  

VIII.       "(young)                     21   " 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cranial  capacity  of  the  koo- 
loo-kamba and  nshiego  is  intermediate  between  the  two  extreme 
measurements  of  the  chimpanzee. 

CRANIAL  CAPACITY  OF  GORILLA. 

Cubic  Inches.  Authority. 

L  Male   34.5   Dr.  J.  Wyman. 

n.     "    28.3   " 

HI.     "    28    " 

IV.     "    29    " 

V.     "    26    " 

VI.  Female   29.5   " 

VII.  Male   27    Dr.  S.  Kneeland. 

VIII.     "    32    Dr.  J.  Wyman. 

IX.     "    32.6   Prof.  Owen. 

X.     "    30.3   Dr.  J.  Wyman. 

XI.  Female   25    " 

XII.     "    24    " 

XIII.  "    29.6   " 

XIV.  "  young,  shedding  teeth..  20.5   " 

XV.  Gorilla  with  red  ru-mp          19.5   " 

I.  and  ni.  were  obtained  by  Dr.  George  S.  Perkins. 

II.  and  XI.  were  obtained  by  Dr.  T.  S.  Savage. 

VII.  was  obtained  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Wilson. 

IV.,  V.,  VI.,  XII.,  XIII.,  XIV.,  XV.,  are  from  my  own  collection. 

VIII.  was  obtained  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  Walker. 

IX.  is  in  the  Hunterian  Museum  in  London. 


424 


INFERIORITY  OF  T.  GORILLA. 


Average  of  ten  males  

"  three  females.. 
"      thirteen  adults 


20.00 
28.85 
34.05 
24.00 


29. 70  cubic  inches. 


Maximum 
Minimum 


No.  XI.  is  deformed,  and  is  therefore  not  referred  to  in  the  averages. 

The  average  weight  of  the  brain  of  a  child  of  four  years,  of  the 
Caucasian  race,  having  its  first  teeth,  is  38  to  40  ounces.  There 
are  no  measurements  for  this  age.  The  average  capacity  of  the 
adult  Caucasian  brain  is  92  cubic  inches,  and  the  maximum 
is  114  inches. 

The  average  capacity  of  the  adult  negro  and  Australian  brain 
is  75  cubic  inches.  The  average  capacity  of  thirteen  adult  goril- 
las was  but  28.85  cubic  inches.  This  is  an  incontestable  proof  of 
the  great  ascendency  of  the  intellectual  life  of  the  human  species, 
even  in  the  lower  orders  of  the  human  family,  which  increases 
gradually,  and  possesses  an  activity  of  nutrition  which  tends  to 
the  continual  development  of  that  organ  as  long  as  the  ossifica- 
tion and  the  sutures  of  the  cranium  are  not  complete,  and  which 
is  not  the  case  until  man  has  attained  the  adult  age ;  while  even 
after  that  period  it  is  known  that  the  brain  increases  sometimes 
in  weight. 

The  cranial  capacity  of  a  young  gorilla  or  nshiego — supposing  a 
subsequent  development  equal  in  measure  to  that  in  man — would 
produce  an  animal  of  a  high  grade  of  intelligence.  But  this  de- 
velopment does  not  take  place.  The  actual  increase  in  brain,  in 
the  adult  gorilla  (or  other  anthropoid  apes),  over  the  young,  is 
very  slight.  The  head  increases  in  size  and  weight  with  age ;  but 
it  is  the  bones,  which  grow  into  a  hard,  firm  brain-case ;  the  brain 
itself  remains  almost  without  increase  in  weight  or  size.  This 
proves  conclusively  that  the  animal  has  very  limited  powers  of 
intelligence ;  and,  from  my  own  observations,  I  believe  that  the 
limit  of  that  intelligence  may  be  reached  in  a  single  year  of  its 


Comparing  the  skeletons  of  the  T.  calvus,  or  nshiego  mbouve, 
and  T.  kooloo-kamba  with  the  T.  niger,  it  does  not  strike  me  that 
their  differences  are  of  generic  importance,  especially  when  it  is 
remembered  how  much  individual  gorillas  differ  in  size  and  in 
proportions. 

The  skull  of  the  kooloo-kamba  is  much  broader  than  that  of 


life. 


SKULL  OF  T.  KOOLOO-KAMBA. 


425 


either  the  chimpanzee  or  calvus.  In  the  kooloo-kamba  the  inci- 
sors strike  squarely  upon  each  other,  and  present  a  broad  grind- 
ing surface. 

Measured  from  the  supra-orbital  ridge  above  the  eyes  back- 
ward to  the  occipital  ridge,  the  plain  dividing  that  section  of  the 
skull  would  have  more  than  one  third  of  the  brain  superior  to 
that  line.  The  bis-temporal  diameter  is  greater  in  proportion 
than  in  either  the  gorilla,  the  chimpanzee,  or  the  calvus. 

The  kooloo-kamba  skull  being  placed  in  situ  upon  the  lower 
jaw,  the  whole  head  preserves,  unsustained,  its  erect  position. 


KOOLOO-KA.MI1A  SKULL.  HUMAN  SKULL. 

The  peculiar  development  of  the  cheek-bones  gives  a  great 
breadth  to  the  face;  the  muzzle  is  not  so  prominent  as  in  the 
other  apes ;  the  head  is  rounder ;  the  capacity  of  the  cranium  is 
greater  than  the  nshiego,  as  shown  by  the  table  of  measurement 
of  the  crania.  The  skull  approaches  somewhat  nearer  in  shape 
to  the  human  skull.  The  width  of  the  pelvis  is  greater  than  its 
height,  but  it  has  somewhat  the  general  form  of  that  of  the  T.  niger 
and  T.  calvus.  In  the  chimpanzee  and  in  the  nshiego  mbouve  the 
height  of  the  pelvis  exceeds  its  width. 

Two  more  points  of  difference  I  must  remark  on,  which  still 
farther  establish,  in  my  opinion,  the  vast  chasm  which  lies  between 
even  the  most  inferior  forms  of  the  human  race  and  the  most 
superior  of  the  apes.  One  of  these  is  that,  in  the  apes,  the  verte- 
bral column  has  a  single  curvature  in  the  form  of  a  bow,  and  is 
thus  enabled  to  act  like  an  elastic  spring,  which  preserves  the 
animal  from  sudden  shocks  in  running  or  leaping  on  all-fours, 


426 


MAN  AND  THE  APES. 


while  in  man  the  spinal  column  has  three  opposite  curvatures, 
which  answer  the  same  purpose  so  long  as  the  body  is  in  the 
erect  position,  but  are  not  calculated  for  progression  on  all-fours. 
Moreover,  the  manner,  the  mode  of  articulation  of  the  head  with 
the  spinal  column  obliges  man  to  maintain  himself  erect,  while  in 
the  ape  it  is  such  that  the  head  must  be  thrown  backward  when 
in  an  erect  position,  in  order  to  maintain  the  balance  of  the  body ; 
and  I  have  frequently  observed  the  fact  that  the  gorilla  is  not  able 
to  preserve  himself  for  any  considerable  length  of  time  in  an 
erect  posture. 

In  man,  therefore,  both  the  position  of  the  head  and  the  curves 
of  the  vertebral  column  make  the  erect  posture  the  only  natural 
one,  and  any  other  is  quite  painful,  even  if  assumed  only  for  a 
short  time ;  and  this  difference  is  an  organic  one,  resulting,  not 
from  the  force  of  habit,  but  from  a  difference  in  original  structure. 

The  whole  frame-work  of  man  proclaims  that  he  is  created  to 
carry  himself  erect ;  and,  unlike  all  the  quadrumana,  his  superior 
extremities  do  not  perform  any  service  in  the  act  of  locomotion. 

Then  comes  the  head,  with  its  enormous  expansion  of  the 
brain.  The  condyles  of  the  occiput  are  brought  forward  to  the 
base  of  the  skull,  and  by  this  the  balance  of  the  head  on  the 
neck-bone,  which  has  a  slight  tendency  forward.  The  arms  in 
man  are  in  more  symmetrical  proportion  with  the  length  of  the 
legs.  The  femur  in  man  is  longer  in  proportion  to  the  leg  than 
in  any  other  animal ;  the  lower  limbs  (legs)  are  longer  than  in 
any  of  the  apes ;  the  pelvis  is  broader  than  it  is  long ;  the  iliac 
bones  are  bent  forward;  the  humerus  is  longer  than  the  fore- 
arm ;  the  thumb  is  much  longer  than  in  any  ape,  and  is  the  most 
useful  member  of  the  hand. 

The  second  point  is  made  by  Dr.  P.  Gratiolet,  in  a  very  able 
paper,  read  before  the  Socitte  d  'Anthropologic  of  Paris,  on  micro- 
cephalus  considered  in  its  relations  to  the  characteristics  of  the 
human  race.    In  this  able  paper  he  has  the  following  remarks : 

"The  study  of  the  brain  of  microcephalic  persons  [or  small- 
brained  persons]  has  provided  me  with  other  elements,  by  the 
aid  of  which  the  absolute  distinction  of  man  is  evidently  and  an- 
atomically proved.  In  comparing  attentively  the  brain  of  mon- 
keys with  that  of  men,  I  have  found  that,  in  adult  age,  the  ar- 
rangement of  cerebral  folds  is  the  same  in  one  group  as  in  the 
other ;  and,  were  we  to  stop  here,  there  would  be  no  sufficient 


DIFFERENCE  IN  STRUCTURE  OF  BRAIN. 


427 


ground  for  separating  man  from  animals  in  general ;  but  the 
study  of  development  calls  for  an  absolute  distinction." 

Speaking  of  the  anatomical  development  and  structure  of  the 
brain,  he  then  continues :  "  In  fact,  the  tempero-sphenoidal  convo- 
lutions appear  first  in  the  brain  of  monkeys,  and  are  completed  by 
the  frontal  lobe,  while  precisely  the  inverse  order  takes  place  in 
man ;  the  frontal  convolutions  appear  first,  the  tempero-sphenoidal 
show  themselves  last ;  thus  the  same  series  is  repeated  in  the  one 
case  from  a  to  iv,  in  the  other  from  w  to  a.  From  this  fact,  rigor- 
ously verified,  a  necessary  consequence  follows :  no  arrest  in  the 
progress  of  development  could  possibly  render  the  human  brain 
more  similar  to  that  of  monkeys  than  it  is  at  the  adult  age ;  far 
from  that,  it  would  differ  the  more  the  less  it  were  developed." 

Thus  we  see  that,  even  in  the  lowest  idiots,  the  brain  preserves 
the  material  and  zoological  characters  of  man ;  and,  though  often 
inferior  in  appearance  to  that  of  the  chimpanzee,  gorilla,  or  orang, 
is  nevertheless  an  undeniable  human  brain.  Disease,  or  degra- 
dation in  continued  reproduction  (astheniogeny),  may  dwarf  a  man, 
but  will  never  make  of  him  an  ape ;  and,  moreover,  modern  ob- 
servations have  demonstrated  that  idiots  do  not  breed. 

I  close  this  chapter  with  the  following  tables  of  measurements 
of  the  gorilla  skeleton,  carefully  made  from  one  of  my  most  per- 
fect specimens,  an  adult  male,  which,  when  first  shot,  measured 
five  feet  eight  inches  in  extreme  length. 


MEASUREMENTS  OF  THE  GORILLA'S  SKELETON. 

Lower  Jaw.  Inches. 
Length  of  the  inferior  maxillary  bone,  from  the  inferior  angle  of  the 

ramus  to  the  canine  tooth   6 

Do.  to  the  median  line,  measured  around  to  a  point  between  the  mid- 
dle incisors   7 

Perpendicular  height  of  the  ramus  of  the  jaw   4 

Greatest  breadth  of  do   2f 

Length  of  alveolus  (in  a  straight  line  of  the  teeth)   3$ 

Width  across  the  jaw  from  the  outer  margin  of  the  last  molars   2f 

Do.  do.  at  the  canine  or  bicuspids   2\ 

Upper  Jaw. 

Length  of  alveolus  from  the  last  molar  to  the  canine   31 

Do.  do.  around  to  the  median  line   4|- 

Breadth  across  the  jaw  at  the  molars   2J 

Do.  do.  at  the  extremities  of  canine   2| 

Skull. 

Diameter  of  nasal  aperture   1{ 

Distance  from  lower  margin  of  do.  to  the  margin  of  the  eye-socket   3 

Width  of  the  face,  measured  across  the  eyes  to  the  outer  margins  of 

the  lateral  orbital  ridges   5£ 


428         MEASUREMENTS  OF  SKELETON  OF  T.  GORILLA. 


Inches. 


Width  of  the  face,  measured  at  the  molar  protuberances   6i 

Depth  of  the  eye-socket  to  the  optic  foramen   2\ 

Greatest  length  of  the  face,  measured  in  a  straight  line  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  orbital  ridge  to  the  lowest  point  of  the  chin   7i 

Distance  from  the  base  of  the  nose  to  the  top  of  the  orbital  ridge  on 

the  median  line   2$ 

Distance  from  do.  to  the  outer  angle  of  do  

Distance  on  the  median  line  from  the  middle  incisor  of  the  upper 

jaw  to  the  foramen  magnum  (spinal  opening)   7i 

Diameter  of  the  foramen  magnum  or  spinal  opening   1£ 

Distance  from  the  posterior  margin  of  that  opening  to  the  lateral  term- 
ination of  the  occipital  crest   3j 

Distance  on  the  median  line,  measured  from  the  middle  incisor  of 
the  upper  jaw  across  the  spinal  opening  to  the  outer  point  of  the 

occipital  crest   12i 

Transverse  diameter  of  the  base  of  the  skull  from  the  mastoid  protu- 
berances  6 

Length  of  the  occipital  crest  on  its  summit   11 

Greatest  height  of  this  crest,  measured  perpendicularly  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  skull   1 

Length  of  the  median  crest  on  the  top  of  the  skull   5 

Distance  from  the  summit  of  the  orbital  ridge  to  the  point  oj  junction 
of  the  crests  on  the  occiput   7 


(Measured  from  the  highest  points  of  the  orbital  ridge  and  the  occip- 
ital junction  of  the  crests,  a  line  will  not  touch  the  skull.) 
Measurement  around  the  entire  skull,  within  the  zygomatic  arch,  on 


the  depressed  line  just  posterior  to  the  eye-sockets,  and  anteriorly  to 

the  crests   11 

Lateral  diameter  of  the  space  beneath  the  zygomatic  arches   2 

Antero-posterior  do.  do   2J 

Length  of  Spinal  Column. 

Length  of  the  cervical  vertebra:   4| 

"     from  first  dorsal  vertebra  to  extremity  of  the  sacrum   21J 

Total   26* 

Add  for  shrinkage  of  the  intervertebral  cartilages  (nearly  one  sixth  of 

total  length)   _4| 

Total  length  of  spine   31 

Measurements  of  Tliorax. 
Length  of  the  fourth  rib,  measured  from  the  spine  of  its  vertebra  to 

the  articulation  with  cartilage   13 J 

Length  of  its  dry  cartilage   2 

Breadth  of  sternum  (breast-bone)   If 

Length  of  the  sixth  rib   15 

"     of  cartilage  of  the  sixth  rib  to  its  ensiform  articulation  (dried)..  4} 

Pelvis. 

Greatest  breadth  of  pelvis,  from  crests  of  the  iliac  bones   15J 

Breadth  of  pelvis,  measured  outwardly  and  posteriorly  from  the  same 

points  as  above   18 

Height  of  pelvis  (perpendicular  measurement)   14 

( sacro-pubic,  or  antero-posterior   6^ 

Diameters  of  pelvic  strait  ■<  oblique   5| 

(bis-iliac,  or  transverse   5£ 

Upper  Extremities. 

Greatest  length  of  the  scapula  plate   9 

Length  measured  from  coracoid  process  to  the  inferior  extremity  of  the 

scapula   12  £ 


MEASUREMENTS  OF  SKELETON  OF  T.  GORILLA.  429 

Inches. 

Circumference  of  the  head  of  the  humerus   Si 

Greatest  diameter  of  the  glenoid  cavity   2 

Length  of  the  humerus  to  radial  articulation   18 

Circumference  of  the  humerus  in  the  middle  of  its  shaft   4£ 

"         at  the  distal  articulation,  measured  around  the  condyles  9 

Length  of  radius  (fore-arm)   13$ 

Direct  length  of  ulna   15 

Length  measured  on  its  outward  curvature   15i 

Lower  Extremities. 
Length  of  femur,  measured  from  the  round  ligament  to  the  lateral  mar- 
gin of  tibial  articulation   13J 

Length  measured  from  summit  of  the  great  tuberosity  to  the  huei  al 

margin  of  tibial  articulation  ™.   14i 

Length  from  the  round  ligament  to  the  superior  margin  of  patella   12f 

Circumference  of  the  head  of  the  femur   6£ 

Circumference  of  the  neck  of  the  femur   4£ 

Greatest  circumference  of  the  femur  around  the  two  tuberosities   8f 

Circumference  of  middle  of  the  shaft   4 

Circumference  at  the  knee,  measured  over  the  patella   11| 

Length  of  patella   2 

Greatest  length  of  tibia  (perpendicular)   11 J 

Length  of  fibula  from  knee  to  ankle   10^ 

The  Foot. 

Greatest  length  of  os  calcis   3 

Circumference  of  ankle  around  the  os  calcis   6J 

Greatest  length  of  foot,  measured  on  top  from  tibia  to  extremity  of 

middle  toe   7i 

Length  of  bones  of  middle  toe  from  os  cuneiformi  to  extremity  of  the 

toe  

Length  of  great  toe  from  do   4J 

Greatest  length  of  sole  of  the  foot,  measured  from  posterior  extremity 

of  os  calcis,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  extremity  of  the  middle  toe....  9 
Do.  measured  in  the  arch  of  the  foot  from  do   9i 

The  Hand. 

Length  of  the  hand,  from  the  carpal  bones  to  the  extremity  of  the  mid- 
dle finger   8£ 

Length  of  thumb   3J- 

Total  length  of  the  dried  skeleton  5  feet  5  inches. 


The  following  comparative  measurements  of  the  pelvis  in  the 
various  apes  are  given  in  inches  and  hundredths : 


Nshiego  Mbouve 
— Male. 

T.  Niger- 
Male. 

Koolookamba 
— Male. 

Large  male  Go- 
rilla—Dr.  Wy- 
maiL 

11.50 

11.40 

10.10 

15.10 

Breadth  across  ilia,  outside... 

10.80 

10.00 

12.10 

17.70 

Antero-posterior  diam.  of  brim 

5.35 

5.20 

6.20 

8.00 

Oblique              "  " 

4.25 

4.10 

5.60 

6.60 

4.00 

3.75 

4.20 

6.10 

430 


THE  BAKALAI  TRIBE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Bakalai. — Extent  of  Region  in  which  they  are  met. — Qualities. — Reasons  for 
Intermixture  of  Tribes. — The  Bakalai  are  Rovers. — Fear  of  Death. — Old  People 
abandoned^^Treachery. — Case  of  Retaliation. — Women-palavers. — Arbitration. 
— A  fetich  Waver. — Appearance  of  the  Bakalai. — Property. — Duties  of  a  Wife. 
— Restrictions  on  Marriage. — Slaves. — Costume. — Grass-cloth. — Hunters. — Fish- 
ing.— Great  Traders. — Diseases.. — Leprosy. — Music. 

Before  resuming  the  narrative,  I  think  it  well  to  give  the 
reader  some  account  of  the  Bakalai,  the  people  among  whom  I 
had  spent  now  so  many  months  in  hunting  and  exploration. 

They  are  one  of  the  most  numerous,  widely  extended,  and  im- 
portant tribes  I  met  in  Equatorial  Africa.  From  the  Muni  on 
the  north  to  the  Fernand  Vaz  on  the  south,  and  from  the  sea- 
shore to  the  Apingi  country,  I  met  settlements  of  Bakalai.  To 
the  north  they  approach  the  sea-shore,  and  live  on  the  rivers; 
but,  as  I  made  my  way  south,  I  found  that  they  receded  from  the 
ocean,  and  were  met  farther  inland.  Their  settlements  are  wide- 
ly scattered,  and  they  are  often  found  living  in  independent  towns 
in  regions  chiefly  occupied  by  other  tribes.  How  far  they  reach 
inland  I  can  not  tell.  To  the  Ashira  they  were  known  as  neigh- 
bors, and  even  the  Apingi  pointed  eastward  toward  the  unknown 
centre  of  the  continent  when  I  inquired  for  Bakalai. 

On  the  Rembo  they  are  so  entirely  inland  people  that  they  did 
not  know  much  even  of  the  management  of  canoes.  Between 
the  Gaboon  and  Corisco  some  of  them  live  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivers,  as  I  have  said,  and  are  extraordinary  boatmen ;  but,  wher- 
ever they  are,  they  are  great  hunters  and  traders,  and  treacherous 
warriors. 

The  tribes  of  western  Africa  are  curiously  intermixed,  as  the 
reader  will  have  seen  ere  this  from  the  accounts  of  my  wander- 
ings among  them.  This  happens  because  the  most  enterprising 
are  always  striving  to  get  possession  of  the  rivers,  which  are  the 
only  highways  of  the  country.  From  these  they  drive  away  the 
weaker  tribes,  or  rather  portions  of  tribes,  as  on  the  Ikoi  some 
Bakalai  had  to  desert  their  towns,  where  they  drove  a  brisk 


THEIR  ROVING  PROPENSITY. 


431 


trade,  because  of  the  jealous  rage  of  other  villages  of  the  same 
tribe  who  were  stronger,  and  determined  to  have  the  trade  in 
their  own  hands.  There  is  nowhere  in  this  region  any  owner- 
ship in  land,  so  that  any  family  of  any  tribe  has  a  right  to  settle 
on  any  unoccupied  territory,  and  if  there  is  a  dispute  it  is  settled 
by  the  strong  arm. 

But  one  of  the  peculiar  traits  of  the  Bakalai,  which  distin- 
guishes them  from  other  tribes  with  whom  they  are  intermixed, 
is  their  roving  character.  They  never  stay  long  in  one  place.  A 
Bakalai  village  is  scarce  built — often  the  plantations  have  not 
borne  fruit  the  first  time — when  they  feel  impelled  to  move. 
Then  every  thing  is  abandoned ;  they  gather  up  what  few  stores 
of  provisions  they  may  have,  and  start  off,  often  for  great  dis- 
tances, to  make  with  infinite  pains  a  new  settlement ;  which  will 
be  abandoned  in  turn  sometimes  after  a  few  months;  though 
sometimes  they  remain  a  year  or  two,  and  even  more,  in  the  same 
place.  Thus,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Gaboon  and  its  tribu- 
taries, the  favorable  position  for  trade  obliges  them  to  remain  in 
the  same  neighborhood.  But  even  there  they  shift  from  one  place 
to  another,  distant  only  a  mile  or  two  from  each  other. 

Many  things  contribute  to  this  roving  tendency,  but  first  of  all 
is  their  great  fear  of  death.  They  dread  to  see  a  dead  person. 
Their  sick,  unless  they  have  good  and  near  friends,  are  often 
driven  out  of  the  village  to  die  in  loneliness  in  the  forest.  I 
have  twice  seen  old  men  thus  driven  out,  nor  could  I  persuade 
any  one  to  give  shelter  or  comfort  to  these  friendless  wretches. 
Once  an  old  man,  poor  and  naked,  lean  as  death  himself,  and 
barely  able  to  walk,  hobbled  into  a  Bakalai  village  where  I  was 
staying.  Seeing  me,  the  poor  old  fellow  came  to  beg  some  to- 
bacco— their  most  cherished  solace.  I  asked  him  where  he  was 
going. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"Where  are  you  from?" 

He  mentioned  a  village  a  few  miles  off. 

"Have  you  no  friends  there?" 

"None." 

"No  son,  no  daughter,  no  brother,  no  sister?" 

"None." 

"You  are  sick?" 

"  They  drove  me  away  for  that." 


432 


EEMOVAL  OF  VILLAGES. 


"What  will  you  do?" 
"Die." 

A  few  women  came  up  to  him  and  gave  him  water  and  a  little 
food.  But  the  men  saw  death  in  his  eyes.  They  drove  him 
away.  He  went  sadly,  as  though  knowing  and  submitting  to  his 
fate.  A  few  days  after  his  poor  lean  body  was  found  in  the 
wood.    His  troubles  were  ended. 

When  a  man  dies  in  a  Bakalai  village  the  stability  of  that  set- 
tlement has  received  a  violent  shock.  If  a  second  dies,  then  the 
people  at  once  move  away.  They  think  the  place  bewitched: 
they  fancy  death,  dreaded  death,  stalking  in  their  midst.  A  doc- 
tor is  called,  who  goes  through  his  incantations,  and  some  poor 
wretch  is  condemned  to  drink  the  mboundou.  Often  several 
friendless  creatures  are  accused  and  condemned  in  a  breath,  and 
murdered  in  cold  blood.  Then  the  village  is  broken  up;  the 
people  set  out  again  upon  their  wanderings,  and  fix  upon  some 
lonely  spot  for  new  plantations  and  a  new  home. 

It  is  as  though  they  were  all  their  lives  vainly  fleeing  from 
the  dread  face  of  death.  This,  indeed,  is  the  refrain  of  all  their 
sad  songs,  the  burden  of  every  fear.  Having  little  else  to  lose, 
they  seem  to  dread,  more  than  any  other  people  I  ever  saw. 
the  loss  of  life.  And  no  wonder;  for  after  death  is  to  them 
nothing. 

"  Death  is  the  end."  "  Now  we  live ;  by-and-by  we  shall  die : 
then  we  shall  be  no  more."  "  He  is  gone ;  we  shall  never  see 
him  more ;  we  shall  never  shake  his  hand  again ;  we  shall  never 
hear  him  laugh  again."  This  is  the  dolorous  burden  of  their 
evening  and  morning  songs. 

And  yet,  by  a  strange  contradiction,  they  are  extravagantly 
superstitious.  Believing  that  there  is  no  life  beyond  this,  they 
yet  fancy  a  ghost  or  spirit  in  every  moving  tree  or  bush  after 
night,  and  in  the  twilight  hour  are  sometimes  overpowered  with 
an  undefinable  dread,  which  makes  them  fear  to  come  even  out- 
side their  huts. 

Another  cause  of  fear  is  their  treacherous  and  quarrelsome 
disposition.  They  are  constantly  quarreling  with  their  neigh- 
bors. I  have  already  explained  the  singular  ideas  they  have  of 
retaliation.  Once  I  was  in  a  village,  when,  on  a  sudden,  I  heard 
great  wailing  among  the  women.  I  found  that  two  women  had 
been  killed  by  some  persons  unseen,  while  they  were  standing  in 


TKEACUEKY. 


433 


the  creek  near  by,  washing.  The  murderers  were  not  known  for 
some  days.    All  was  consternation  in  the  village. 

Then  it  came  somehow  to  their  ears  that  these  women  had 
been  killed  by  men  who  had  come  from  a  village  fifty  miles  off1. 
This  village  had  a  palaver  or  quarrel  with  one  nearer.  They 
came  down  and  killed  two  women  of  a  village  which  they  had 
no  quarrel  with,  and  this  made  the  villagers  whose  relatives  they 
had  thus  murdered  their  allies.  This. singular  doctrine  of  alli- 
ance seems  to  be  accepted  by  most  of  the  tribes. 

Many  of  their  quarrels  and  palavers  arise  about  women.  Po- 
lygamy prevails  extensively  ;  female  chastity  is  not  valued,  ex- 
cept as  an  article  of  merchandise ;  the  women  have  great  freedom 
and  an  intriguing  spirit,  and  the  consequence  is  that  a  faithful 
wife  is  an  unheard  of  thing.  The  crime  of  adultery  with  a  head- 
wife,  however,  is  considered  a  very  serious  misdemeanor,  for  which 
the  offender  may  be  heavily  fined  if  he  is  rich,  sold  into  slavery 
if  he  is  poor,  or  perhaps  killed. 

Now,  when  a  man  is  caught  in  such  a  difficulty,  he  makes  his 
escape,  if  possible,  to  the  next  village.  It  is  considered  dishonor- 
able to  give  up  a  fugitive,  and  if  he  gets  safely  there  he  is  safe  for 
the  time.  Then  begins  quarreling,  succeeded  presently  by  mur- 
der ;  then  the  curious  process  of  securing  allies  breeds  more  mur- 
der and  retaliation,  and  so  in  a  few  days  a  large  tract  of  country 
is  interested  in  a  quarrel,  and  fights  and  assassinations  continue 
till  some  villages  are  almost  annihilated,  and  others  are  removed 
afar  off,  only  to  be  mixed  up  with  new  strifes. 

"When  war  has  really  broken  out  in  the  country  once,  there  is  no 
rest  nor  safety.  No  man  or  woman  in  any  village  can  take  a  step 
in  any  direction,  day  or  night,  without  fear  of  death.  They  lay 
ambuscades  to  surprise  each  other's  villages.  They  shoot  through 
the  tree-bark  of  which  their  houses  are  made,  and  kill  sleeping 
persons.  They  use  every  unfair  means  of  warfare;  and  the  mean 
er  the  attack  and  the  greater  the  treachery,  the  more  glory  they 
have  won.  In  such  times  of  war  fires  are  put  out  after  dark,  be- 
cause they  give  light  to  the  enemy;  the  people  keep  a  dead  si- 
lence, lest  their  voices  should  betray  their  whereabouts;  the  hunt- 
ers fear  to  hunt,  the  women  and  slaves  to  plant,  and,  by  conse- 
quence, every  body  is  in  a  condition  of  semi-starvation.  This 
lasts  sometimes  for  months.  At  last  whole  districts  are  depopu- 
lated ;  those  who  are  not  killed  desert  their  villages,  and  all,  per- 

E  E 


434 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  BAKALAI 


haps,  because  a  man  in  one  village  stole  from  one  in  another  and 
refused  satisfaction.  Another  frequent  cause  of  war  is  cheating  in 
trade.  Whenever  they  think  themselves  strong  enough,  they  try 
to  keep  the  produce  which>  has  been  intrusted  to  them  for  trade. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Rembo  Ovenga  I  found  that  the  Bakalai 
had  agreed  among  themselves  to  settle  their  quarrels  by  arbitra- 
tion. I  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  not  only  was  this  the 
rule,  but  the  practice.  But  I  found  that  Quengueza,  who  is  mas- 
ter of  all  this  country,  and  makes  his  rule  felt,  was  at  the  bottom 
of  this  salutary  change.  He  would  not  allow  them  to  fight.  He 
understood  very  well  that  trade  and  war  could  not  go  on  togeth- 
er ;  and,  though  the  trade  was  insignificant  from  our  point  of 
view,  it  was  important  to  him. 

While  I  was  in  Obindji's  town,  the  Bakalai  chiefs  and  people, 
to  the  number  of  several  hundreds,  met  together  to  ask  justice  on 
the  head  of  Pende,  Obindji's  brother,  who  was  charged  with  hav- 
ing stolen  the  bones  of  a  dead  person  to  make  a  fetich,  which  fe- 
tich would  keep  trade  away  from  a  particular  town.  This  pala- 
ver was  very  violent ;  and  I  think,  if  Quengueza  had  not  been 
on  the  spot,  would  have  ended  in  bloodshed.  Pende  denied  hav- 
ing done  what  he  was  charged  with,  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
any  body  thought  him  guilty,  toward  the  end  of  the  fuss.  Nev- 
ertheless, to  obtain  quiet,  the  poor  fellow  had  to  give  three  slaves 
to  the  three  chiefs  who  were  the  chief  accusers. 

The  Bakalai  are  of  the  ordinary  size.  The  men  are  generally 
well  made;  some  are  of  small  stature;  and  I  have  seen  among 
them  some  splendid  specimens  of  manhood.  They  are  not  very 
black,  though  they  have  full  negro  features.  They  are  not  very 
strong,  chiefly,  I  suppose,  because  they  live  poorly ;  but  they 
have  great  powers  of  endurance,  and  on  this  account  make  ad- 
mirable hunters.  Considering  their  numerous  superstitions  and 
their  poor  markmanship,  they  must  be  considered  brave  fellows 
on  the  hunt.  To  face  a  gorilla,  and  calmly  await  his  approach 
till  you  know  that  if  you  miss  him  you  will  certainly  be  his  prey, 
must  be  counted  an  act  of  no  common  courage.  And  this  is  the 
manner  in  which  the  Bakalai  hunt  this  terrible  beast. 

Wives  and  slaves  are  their  only  property.  A  man's  standing 
is  according  to  the  number  of  his  wives.  As  soon  as  a  Bakalai 
has  acquired  some  European  goods  in  return  for  ivory  or  ebony, 
he  immediately  sets  out  to  buy  a  new  wife.    They  generally  pre- 


COSTUME  OF  THE  BAKALAI. 


^35 


fer  to  marry  very  young  girls ;  and  often  young  children  are  reg- 
ularly bargained  away.  In  this  case  they  remain  with  their 
parents  till  the  age  of  puberty. 

When  a  man  has  chosen  a  girl,  he  calls  on  her  parents  and  ex- 
plains his  wishes.  They  put  a  price  upon  her,  which  he  pays, 
and  then  the  poor  girl  is  turned  over  to  him.  The  more  chil- 
dren she  has,  the  more  her  husband  loves  her,  and  the  greater  is 
her  importance  in  the  town.  The  population  being  small  in 
nearly  all  the  villages,  every  birth  is  hailed  with  joy ;  and  as 
girls  have  a  money  value,  they  are  as  highly  thought  of  as  boys, 
who  make  hunters  and  warriors.  Few  Bakalai  women  have 
many  children.  Those  who  do  have  their  own  way  in  many 
things,  and  are  able  to  tyrannize  over  their  own  household  and 
rival  wives. 

The  duties  of  a  wife  are  to  labor  for  her  husband,  to  cook 
for  him,  to  work  in  the  fields,  and  to  be  generally  his  beast  of 
burden  and  superior  slave.  When  the  husband  dies  his  wives 
and  slaves  are  divided  among  his  relatives;  his  brothers  taking 
preference,  but  even  his  sons  inheriting  sometimes. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that,  though  they  will  take  their  brother's 
or  father's  wives  in  marriage,  they  will  not  marry  a  woman  of 
the  same  family  or  clan  with  themselves.  This  is  the  case,  also, 
among  other  tribes. 

Of  slaves  the  Bakalai  have  not  many.  The  wants  of  the  white 
traders  on  the  coast,  and  their  own  need  for  white  men's  goods, 
make  them  sell  most  of  those  they  get  to  the  tribes  nearer  the 
coast.  People  caught  in  adultery — particularly  with  a  "  head- 
wife" — are  sold  into  slavery  in  certain  cases.  Those  accused  of 
sorcery  are  killed  or  sold  into  slavery.  Also  a  debtor  may  be 
sold  by  his  creditor. 

Their  costume  is  very  light.  Where  they  can  get  American 
or  European  goods,  they  so  greatly  prefer  those,  because,  it  may 
be  supposed,  of  their  rarity,  that  a  Bakalai  will  wear  a  filthy  rag 
of  cotton  print  for  months  without  washing,  rather  than  throw  it 
aside  for  a  clean  native  grass-cloth  wrapper.  The  women  are  ex- 
s  travagantly  fond  of  European  beads,  and  wear  also  anklets  and 
bracelets  of  copper  or  iron.  The  rude  mat  which  is  worn  round 
the  middle  by  the  men  is  made  of  grass,  and  very  ingeniously 
constructed.  But  the  fine  grass-cloth,  some  of  which  is  really 
beautiful,  is  not  made  among  them.    That  they  get  from  the 


436 


FOOD  OF  THE  BAKALAI. 


Ashira,  a  people  farther  interior — or  from  other  interior  tribes,  of 
whom  more  will  be  said  farther  on. 

In  their  general  habits,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  are  very 
filthy.  The  inland  people  hardly  know  what  it  is  to  wash.  They 
oil  themselves  frequently ;  and  when  the  deposit  of  oil  on  the 
wool  gets  stale,  the  smell  and  appearance  are  very  disgusting  and 
nauseating. 

They  are  great  hunters ;  but,  as  game  is  scarce  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  gouaraba  is  their  natural  state.  They  do  any  thing 
for  meat,  and  it  is  horrible  to  see  the  voracity  with  which  they 
precipitate  themselves  on  a  portion  of  meat  when  any  is  brought 
into  camp.  The  few  goats  and  chickens  they  keep  are  not  suf- 
ficient for  their  use,  and  they  seem  to  have  no  idea  of  cultivating 
them  and  increasing  them.  Those  who  live  on  the  river  have 
great  fishing  excursions,  which  furnish  them  with  a  portion  of 
their  sustenance.  When  the  rivers  recede  at  the  approach  of  the 
dry  season,  the  waters  remain  behind  on  the  plains  in  pools.  To 
one  of  these  pools  a  village  of  Bakalai  comes — men,  women,  and 
children  —  and,  with  earthenware  baskets  and  bowls,  empty  out 
the  water.  The  poor  fish,  for  whom  no  way  of  escape  is  open, 
srruggle  vainly  against  their  enemy,  who  finally,  having  thrown 
out  nearly  all  the  water,  rush  in  pellmell  and  take  out  the  fish. 
These  are  killed,  and  what  are  not  eaten  on  the  spot  are  smoked 
for  future  use,  and  thus  a  considerable  store  is  often  laid  by  for 
a  needy  time. ' 

For  hunting,  almost  all,  even  of  those  who  live  far  beyond  where 
white  men  penetrate,  make  use  of  guns  and  powder.  These  are 
the  chief  articles  of  trade,  and  are  most  sought  for  by  them  every 
where.  For  the  women  beads  are  the  most  valued ;  and  even  the 
men  do  not  despise  ornaments. 

They  are,  like  all  the  tribes  of  this  country,  great  traders ;  and 
if  the  rivers  were  once  opened  and  kept  open  by  white  men,  this 
eagerness  for  trade  would  help  much  to  develop  the  abundant  re- 
sources of  the  country.  Before  I  ascended  the  Bembo,  the  whole 
river  was  divided  by  petty  chieftains,  who  maintained  their  trad- 
ing monopoly,  and  prevented  the  sea-shore  people  from  direct 
trade  with  the  up-river.  Now,  I  prevailed  upon  Quengueza  at 
last  to  let  the  sea-shore  men  come  up  with  their  goods,  showing 
him  that  the  trade  would  be  much  greater,  and  would  really  bo 
in  his  hands ;  so  that  now  the  river  is  open  one  way.    Still,  no 


GREAT  LIARS. 


437 


one  of  the  up-river  could  come  past  Quengueza  to  take  his  goods 
to  the  sea-shore.  That  would  not  be  permitted,  and  an  attempt 
to  do  so  would  cause  war. 

They  are,  as  a  rule,  the  shrewdest  judges  of  human  nature  that 
ever  I  met.  Lying  is  thought  an  enviable  accomplishment  among 
all  the  tribes,  and  a  more  thorough  and  unhesitating  liar  than  one 
of  these  negroes  is  not  to  be  found  any  where.  A  man  does  not, 
therefore,  believe  what  another  says,  but  watches  his  counte- 
nance, and  forms  his  opinions  from  the  other's  looks.  Now  in 
this  species  of  almost  intuitive  judgment  the  Bakalai  excels  all 
his  brethren  of  the  other  tribes.  Sometimes  men  came  to  Obindji 
and  told  him  long  stories  on  some  subject  of  importance.  The 
old  chief  would  listen  gravely  and  say  nothing  to  the  speaker, 
but  presently  would  come  to  me  and  say, 

:t  The  man  lies." 

"But  how  do  you  know?"  I  would  ask,  knowing  that  the 
man's  story  was  perfectly  straight  and  not  at  all  improbable. 

"  I  watched  his  face,"  was  the  reply.  "  We  Bakalai  watch  the 
face.    The  words  are  nothing ;  but  the  face  tells  us." 

And,  indeed,  they  are  marvelous  shrewd  physiognomists ;  no 
slight  advantage  to  a  nation  of  ardent  traders. 

Of  diseases,  besides  fevers,  to  which  they  are  subject  in  certain 
seasons,  the  chief  are  a  kind  of  leprosy,  the  venereal  disease,  and 
a  kind  of  virulent  ulcers.  These  last  break  out  on  the  arm  or 
leg  and  eat  in  to  the  bone.  When  the  disease  reaches  the  bones 
the  patient  dies.  In  leprosy  the  patient  becomes  gradually  white 
in  the  parts  attacked,  the  skin  of  the  body  dries  up  and  cracks, 
suppuration  takes  place  in  the  centre  of  the  diseased  spots,  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  hands  and  feet  rot  away  and  fall  off,  and  at  last 
the  patient  dies.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  me  the  body  is  dead  and 
mostly  decomposed  before  the  spirit  leaves  it.  Lepers,  who  are 
in  some  regions  rather  common,  are  kept  in  a  room  apart  in  the 
house ;  but  the  people  do  not  seem  much  afraid  of  them.  The 
disease  is  in  certain  families,  and  often  does  not  break  out  till  the 
unfortunate  subject  is  full  grown.  They  linger  sometimes  for 
years  in  daily  expectation  of  death.  The  natives  know  nothing 
of  a  cure.  In  fact,  they  have  very  little  knowledge  of  remedies 
for  any  disease.  When  a  man  is  sick  he  is  left  to  nature.  If  he 
dies  it  is  witchcraft,  and  then  the  doctor  is  called  in  to  discover 
the  witch.    I  have  seen  some  cases,  but  not  many,  of  the  disease 


438 


MUSICAL  INSTRIDIEXTS. 


called  elephantiasis.  Scrofula  is  somewhat  prevalent,  as  it  is  in 
many  other  tribes.  Most  of  these  diseases  must  be  attributed  to 
insufficient  nourishment  and  filthy  habits. 

They  are  fond  of  music  of  certain  kinds.  The  tam-tam  is  the 
noisiest  instrument,  and  is  used  for  all  dances  and  ceremonials. 
But  they  have  also  a  guitar,  and  a  harp  of  eight  strings — an  ingen- 
ious instrument,  on  which  some  of  the  men  play  with  a  good  deal 
of  skill ;  and  some  of  their  airs  were  really  pretty,  though  sad  and 
monotonous.  The  ombi,  as  this  is  called,  is  a  source  of  great  de- 
light to  them.  Often  and  often  I  have  heard  it  played  all  night, 
while  the  crowd  of  listeners  sat  in  silence  around  the  fire.  While 
the  tam-tam  rouses  their  feelings  and  really  throws  them  into 
a  phrensy,  the  ombi  has  a  soothing  and  softening  effect  upon 
them. 

Both  instruments  are  called  ombi.  One,  which  is  shaped  like  a 
banjo  or  guitar,  has  but  four  strings.  The  other,  with  eight,  is  a 
harp.  Both  are  made  of  thin  pieces  of  a  resonant  wood,  some- 
times covered  with  snake-skin.  The  strings  are  the  long,  fine, 
fibrous  roots  of  a  tree,  and  answer  their  purpose  very  well. 


ANXIETIES  OF  RANPANO. 


439 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Departure  for  the  Interior. — Meeting  of  the  People. — Address  of  Ranpano. — I  am 
made  a  Makaga. — Use  of  Quinine. — A  sick  Friend. — Death  in  Goumbi. — Sor- 
cery, and  how  it  is  discovered. — Great  Excitement. — Terrible  Tragedy. — The 
Victims.  — The  Accusations.  —  The  Poison-cup.  — The  Execution. — Visit  from 
Adouma. — Sincerity  of  the  Doctors? — Up  the  River. — Manga-hunts. — A  Manga 
Doctor. — Keeping  a  Creditor. — Querlaouen. — An  African  Tragedy. — Fight  on 
the  River. — Toward  Ashira-land. — The  Ashira  Plains. — Splendid  View. 

At  last  I  was  ready  to  make  another  start ;  my  health  restored, 
my  spirits  in  some  measure  recovered,  and  eager  for  the  new. 
region. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1859,  Quengueza  was  still  too  weak  to 
travel,  so  I  determined  to  start  without  him. 

Eanpano  and  his  people  had  been  urging  me  for  some  time 
not  to  go ;  and  now,  when  I  was  all  ready,  the  old  king  called  a 
grand  palaver,  which  I  attended,  and  of  which  the  chief  purpose 
was  to  persuade  me  not  to  venture  into  the  interior. 

My  good  old  friend  Eanpano  was  really  solicitous  about  me. 
He  made  me  an  address,  in  which  he  informed  me  that  he  had 
heard  the  interior  people  wanted  to  get  me  in  their  power.  They 
wanted  to  kill  me,  in  order  to  make  a  fetich  of  my  hair.  They 
had  very  many  fetiches  already,  and  were  very  anxious  to  make 
their  collection  complete — so  it  appeared. 

I  replied  that  I  had  no  fear  of  them ;  that,  so  far,  I  had  been 
brought  back  safely  to  them,  and  I  was  willing  to  trust  my  God 
again. 

Then  he  said,  "  We  love  you.  You  are  our  white  man.  What 
you  tell  us  we  do.  When  you  say  it  is  wrong,  we  do  not  do  it. 
We  take  care  of  your  house,  your  goats,  your  fowls,  your  parrots, 
your  monkeys.  You  are  the  first  white  man  that  settled  among 
us,  and  we  love  you." 

To  which  all  the  people  answered,  "  Yes,  we  love  him !  He  is 
our  white  man,  and  we  have  no  other  white  man." 

Then  the  king  said,  "  We  know  that  writing  talks.  Write  us, 
therefore,  a  letter  to  prove  to  your  friends,  if  you  do  not  come 
back,  that  it  was  not  we  who  hurt  you." 


440 


I  AM  MADE  A  MAKAGA. 


To  this  followed  various  objections  to  my  going,  to  all  of  which 
I  was  obliged  to  make  grave  answer. 

Finally,  when  they  gave  me  up,  all  exclaimed,  in  accents  of 
wonder,  "Ottangani  angani!  (man  of  the  white  men)  what  is  the 
matter  with  you  that  you  have  no  fear?  God  gave  you  the 
heart  of  a  leopard !    You  were  born  without  fear  [" 

More  than  a  year  ago  the  Camma  gave  me  the  title  of  "  maka- 
ga,"  an  honorable  name,  which  only  one  man,  and  he  the  bravest, 
in  any  village  may  bear.  The  office  of  the  makaga  is  to  lead  in 
all  desperate  affairs.  For  instance,  if  any  one  has  murdered  one 
of  his  fellow-villagers,  and  the  murderer's  town  refuses  to  give 
him  up  (which  is  almost  always  the  case,  they  thinking  it  shame 
to  surrender  any  one  who  has  taken  refuge  with  them),  then  it  is 
.the  business  of  the  makaga  to  take  the  best  men  of  the  villages, 
lead  them  to  the  assault  of  that  which  protects  the  murderer,  and 
destroy  that,  with  its  inhabitants.  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  all 
the  Camma  country,  the  murder  of  a  free  man  is  punished  with 
the  death  of  the  murderer.  My  title  was  rather  an  honorary  one. 
as  I  was  never  called  on  to  execute  justice  among  them. 

At  last  Eanpano  gave  me  sixteen  men  to  take  me  to  Goumbi. 
from  where  Quengueza's  people  were  to  set  me  on.  Makondai. 
the  little  fellow  who  had  so  bravely  accompanied  me  on  my  last 
tour,  asked  to  be  taken  again,  and  I  took  him  gladly.  He  is  a 
brave,  intelligent  lad,  and,  by  his  care  for  my  coffee  and  man}- 
other  matters,  added  much  to  my  comfort. 

Quengueza  could  not  come  with  us ;  but  he  sent  orders  to  his 
brother,  who  reigned  in  his  stead  at  Goumbi,  to  give  me  as  many 
people  as  I  wanted,  and  to  afford  me  protection  as  far  as  I  needed 
it ;  and  specially  named  Adouma  to  be  the  chief  of  the  party  who 
were  to  accompany  me  to  the  Ashira  country. 

"When  all  this  was  done,  there  was,  according  to  African  cus- 
tom, a  formal  leave-taking.  Quengueza's  men,  Eanpano's,  and 
mine  gathered  before  the  old  king,  who  solemnly  bade  us  God- 
speed, taking  my  two  hands  in  his  and  blowing  upon  them,  as 
their  custom  is;  saying,  "Go  thou  safely,  and  return  safely." 

It  is  now  (October)  the  full  rainy  season,  and  not  the  most  com- 
fortable for  traveling.  But  it  is  probably  the  healthiest,  and  as 
for  the  rest,  there  is  little  choice.  Besides  provisions,  I  took 
along  some  wine  and  brandy  to  help  me  in  rainy  nights,  and  a 
goodly  quantity  of  quinine — the  one  indispensable,  without  which 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 


441 


let  no  man  travel  in  Western  Africa,  I  know  the  prejudice 
which  exists  against  this  remedy  ;  but  I  have  within  this  last  four 
years  taken  fourteen  ounces,  and  live  as  a  proof  that  it  is  a  useful 
medicine  and  a  very  slow  poison. 

We  arrived  at  Goumbi  on  the  13th,  after  meeting  with  two 
very  heavy  storms  of  wind  and  rain  on  the  way.  The  people 
asked  after  their  king,  who  had  gone  away  well,  and  whom,  they 
thought,  I  ought  to  have  brought  back  in  the  same  condition. 

I  was  asked  to  go  and  see  an  old  friend  of  mine,  Mpomo,  who 
was  now  sick.  They  had  spent  the  night  before  drumming 
about  his  bedside  to  drive  out  the  devil.  But  I  soon  saw  that 
neither  drumming  nor  medicine  would  help  the  poor  fellow. 
The  film  of  death  was  already  in  his  eyes,  and  I  knew  he  could 
scarce  live  through  the  approaching  night.  He  held  out  his  hand 
to  me  in  welcome,  and  feebly  said,  "  Chally,  save  me,  for  I  am 
dying." 

He  was  then  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  people,  most  of  them 
moved  to  tears  at  their  friend's  pitiable  condition. 

I  explained  to  him  that  I  had  no  power  to  save  him ;  that  my 
life  and  his  were  alike  in  the  hands  of  God ;  and  that  he  should 
commend  both  body  and  soul  to  that  one  God.  But  he  and  all 
around  had  the  conviction  that,  if  only  I  wished,  I  could  cure 
him.  They  followed  me  to  my  house,  asking  for  medicine ;  and 
at  last,  not  to  seem  heartless,  I  sent  him  a  restorative — something, 
at  least,  to  make  his  remaining  moments  easy.  At  the  same  time 
I  warned  them  that  he  would  die,  and  they  must  not  blame  me 
for  his  death.  This  was  necessary,  for  their  ignorance  makes 
them  very  suspicious. 

When  I  awoke  next  morning  I  heard  the  mournful  wail  which 
proclaimed  that  poor  Mpomo  was  gone  to  his  long  rest.  This 
cry  of  the  African  mourners  is  the  saddest  I  ever  heard.  Its  bur- 
den is  really  and  plainly,  "  All  is  done.  There  is  no  hope.  We 
ioved  him.  We  shall  never  see  him  again."  They  mourn  liter- 
ally as  those  who  have  no  hope. 

In  the  last  moments  of  a  Camma  man  who  lies  at  the  point  of 
death,  his  head  wife  comes  and  throws  herself  by  him  on  his  bed. 
Then,  encircling  his  form  with  her  arms,  she  sings  to  him  songs 
of  love,  and  pours  out  a  torrent  of  endearing  phrases,  all  the  vil- 
lage standing  by  uttering  wailings  and  shedding  tears.  Such  a 
scene  was  always  very  touching  to  me. 


442 


INCANTATIONS  TO  DISCOVER  A  SORCERER. 


When  I  went  to  his  house  I  saw  his  poor  wives  sitting  in  tears 
upon  the  ground,  throwing  moistened  ashes  and  dust  over  their 
bodies,  shaving  their  heads,  and  rending  their  clothes. 

In  the  afternoon  I  heard  talk  of  witchcraft. 

The  mourning  lasted  for  two  days.  On  the  17th  the  body,  al- 
ready in  a  state  of  decomposition,  was  put  in  a  canoe  and  taken 
to  the  cemetery  of  the  Goumbi  people  down  the  river  some  fifty 
miles.  It  was  pitiable  to  see  the  grief  of  his  poor  wives.  They 
seemed  to  have  really  loved  him,  and  sorrowed  for  him  now  that 
he  was  dead,  as  they  had  carefully  and  lovingly  attended  upon 
him  till  he  died.  I  saw  them,  on  the  night  of  his  death,  weeping 
over  him,  one  after  the  other  taking  him  in  her  arms.  It  was  a 
strange  sight.  In  these  sorrowful  moments  there  was  no  sign  of 
jealousy  between  the  poor  women,  that  I  could  see.  All  were 
united  by  their  love  for  the  same  object. 

It  is  curious  how  easily  the  African  women  cry.  At  death  all 
shed  copious  tears,  even  when  they  do  not  knOw  nor  care  for  the 
deceased.  It  is  a  fashion,  and  they  have  really  the  power  to 
pump  up  tears  on  the  slightest  occasion,  or  for  no  occasion  at  all. 

On  the  day  Mpomo  was  buried  proceedings  were  begun  to  dis- 
cover the  persons  who  had  bewitched  the  poor  fellow.  They 
could  not  be  persuaded  that  a  }Toung  man,  hale  and  hearty  but  a 
few  weeks  ago,  could  die  by  natural  causes.  A  great  doctor  was 
brought  from  up  the  river,  and  for  two  nights  and  days  the  rude 
scenes  which  I  have  already  once  given  an  account  of  were  re- 
peated. 

At  last,  on  the  third  morning,  when  the  excitement  of  the  peo- 
ple was  at  its  height — when  old  and  young,  male  and  female,  were 
frantic  with  the  desire  for  revenge  on  the  sorcerers,  the  doctor  as- 
sembled them  about  him  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  began  his 
final  incantation,  which  should  disclose  the  names  of  the  murder- 
ous sorcerers. 

Every  man  and  boy  was  armed,  some  with  spears,  some  with 
swords,  some  with  guns  and  axes,  and  on  every  face  was  shown 
a  determination  to  wreak  bloody  revenge  on  those  who  should  be 
pointed  out  as  the  criminals.  The  whole  town  was  rapt  in  an 
indescribable  fury  and  horrid  thirst  for  human  blood.  For  the 
first  time  I  found  my  voice  without  authority  in  Goumbi.  I  did 
not  even  get  a  hearing.  What  I  said  was  passed  by  as  though 
no  one  had  spoken.    As  a  last  threat,  when  I  saw  proceedings 


CALLING  OUT  THE  VICTIMS. 


443 


begun,  I  said  I  would  make  Quengueza  punish  them  for  the  mur- 
ders done  in  his  absence.  But  alas!  here  they  had  outwitted 
me.  On  the  day  of  Mpomo's  death  they  had  sent  secretly  to 
Quengueza  to  ask  if  they  could  kill  the  witches.  He,  poor  man, 
sick  himself,  and  always  afraid  of  the  power  of  sorcerers,  and 
without  me  to  advise  him,  at  once  sent  back  word  to  kill  them  all 
without  mercy.    So  they  almost  laughed  in  my  face. 

Finding  all  my  endeavors  vain,  and  that  the  work  of  blood- 
shed was  to  be  carried  through  to  its  dreadful  end,  I  determined, 
at  least,  to  see  how  all  was  conducted. 

At  a  motion  from  the  doctor,  the  people  became  at  once  quite 
still.  This  sudden  silence  lasted  about  a  minute,  when  the  loud, 
harsh  voice  of  the  doctor  was  heard : 

"  There  is  a  very  black  woman,  who  lives  in  a  house" — describ- 
ing it  fully,  with  its  location — "  she  bewitched  Mpomo." 

Scarce  had  he  ended  when  the  crowd,  roaring  and  screaming 
like  so  many  hideous  beasts,  rushed  frantically  for  the  place  indi- 
cated. They  seized  upon  a  poor  girl  named  Okandaga,  the  sister 
of  my  good  friend  and  guide  Adouma.  Waving  their  weapons 
over  her  head,  they  tore  her  away  toward  the  water-side.  Here 
she  was  quickly  bound  with  cords,  and  then  all  rushed  away  to 
the  doctor  again. 

As  poor  Okandaga  passed  in  the  hands  of  her  murderers,  she 
saw  me,  though  I  thought  I  had  concealed  myself  from  view.  I 
turned  my  head  away,  and  prayed  she  might  not  see  me.  I  could 
not  help  her.  But  presently  I  heard  her  cry  out,  "  Chally,  Ch  al- 
ly, do  not  let  me  die !" 

It  was  a  moment  of  terrible  agony  to  me.  For  a  minute  I  was 
minded  to  rush  into  the  crowd  and  attempt  the  rescue  of  the  poor 
victim.  But  it  would  have  been  of  not  the  slightest  use.  The 
people  were  too  frantic  and  crazed  to  even  notice  my  presence. 
I  should  only  have  sacrificed  my  own  life  without  helping  her. 
So  I  turned  away  into  a  comer  behind  a  tree,  and — I  may  con- 
fess, I  trust — shed  bitter  tears  at  my  utter  powerlessness. 

Presently  silence  again  fell  upon  the  crowd.  Then  the  harsh 
voice  of  the  devilish  doctor  again  rang  over  the  town.  It  seemed 
to  me  like  the  -hoarse  croak  of  some  death-foretelling  raven  : 

"  There  is  an  old  woman  in  a  house" — describing  it — "  she  also 
witched  Mpomo." 

Again  the  crowd  rushed  off.    This  time  they  seized  a  niece  of 


444  RECITAL  OF  CHARGES. 

King  Quengueza,  a  noble-hearted  and  rather  majestic  old  woman. 
As  they  crowded  about  her  with  flaming  eyes  and  threats  of 
death,  she  rose  proudly  from  the  ground,  looked  them  in  the  face 
unflinchingly,  and  motioning  them  to  keep  their  hands  off,  said, 
"  I  will  drink  the  mboundou ;  but  woe  to  my  accusers  if  I  do  not 
die." 

Then  she,  too,  was  escorted  to  the  river,  but  without  being 
bound.  She  submitted  to  all  without  a  tear  or  a  murmur  for 
mercy. 

Again,  a  third  time  the  dreadful  silence  felt  upon  the  town,  and 
the  doctor's  voice  was  heard : 

"  There  is  a  woman  with  six  children.  She  lives  on  a  planta- 
tion toward  the  rising  sun.    She,  too,  witched  Mpomo." 

Again  there  was  a  furious  shout,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they 
brought  to  the  river  one  of  Quengueza's  slave-women,  a  good  and 
much-respected  woman,  whom  also  I  knew. 

The  doctor  now  approached  with  the  crowd.  In  a  loud  voice 
he  recited  the  crime  of  which  these  women  were  accused.  The 
first  taken,  Okandaga,  had — so  he  said — some  weeks  before  asked 
Mpomo  for  some  salt,  he  being  her  relative.  Salt  was  scarce,  and 
he  had  refused  her.  She  had  said  unpleasant  words  to  him  then, 
and  had  by  sorcery  taken  his  life. 

Then  Quengueza's  niece  was  accused.  She  was  barren,  and 
Mpomo  had  children.  She  envied  him.  Therefore  she  had  be- 
witched him. 

Quengueza's  slave  had  asked  Mpomo  for  a  looking-glass.  He 
had  refused  her.    Therefore  she  had  killed  him  with  sorcery. 

As  each  accusation  was  recited  the  people  broke  out  into  curses. 
Even  the  relatives  of  the  poor  victims  were  obliged  to  join  in  this. 
Every  one  rivaled  his  neighbor  in  cursing,  each  fearful  lest  luke- 
warmness  in  the  ceremony  should  expose  him  to  a  like  fate. 

Next  the  victims  were  put  into  a  large  canoe  with  the  execu- 
tioners, the  doctor,  and  a  number  of  other  people,  all  armed. 

Then  the  tam-tams  were  beaten,  and  the  proper  persons  pre- 
pared the  mboundou.  Quabi,  Mpomo's  eldest  brother,  held  the 
poisoned  cup.  At  sight  of  it  poor  Okandaga  began  again  to  cry. 
and  even  Quengueza's  niece  turned  pale  in  the  face — for  even  the 
negro  face  has  at  such  times  a  pallor  which  is  quite  perceptible. 
Three  other  canoes  now  surrounded  that  in  which  the  victims 
were.    All  were  crowded  with  armed  men. 


DECAPITATION  OF  THE  VICTIMS.  447 

Then  a  mug  of  mboundou  was  handed  to  the  old  slave-woman, 
next  to  the  royal  niece,  and  last  to  Okandaga.  As  they  drank, 
the  multitude  shouted,  "  If  they  are  witches,  let  the  mboundou 
kill  them ;  if  they  are  innocent,  let  the  mboundou  go  out." 

It  was  the  most  exciting  scene  of  my  life.  Though  horror  al- 
most froze  my  blood,  my  eyes  were  riveted  upon  the  spectacle. 
A  dead  silence  now  occurred.  Suddenly  the  slave  fell  down. 
She  had  not  touched  the  boat's  bottom  ere  her  head  was  hacked 
off  by  a  dozen  rude  swords. 

Next  came  Quengueza's  niece.  In  an  instant  her  head  was 
off,  and  the  blood  was  dying  the  waters  of  the  river. 

Meantime  poor  Okandaga  staggered,  and  struggled,  and  cried, 
vainly  resisting  the  working  of  the  poison  in  her  system.  Last 
of  all  she  fell  too,  and  in  an  instant  her  head  was  hewed  off. 

Then  all  became  confused.  An  almost  random  hacking  en- 
sued, and  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  bodies  were 
cut  in  small  pieces,  which  were  cast  into  the  river. 

When  this  was  done  the  crowd  dispersed  to  their  houses,  and 
for  the  rest  of  the  day  the  town  was  very  silent.  Some  of  these 
rude  people  felt  that  their  number,  in  their  already  almost  extin- 
guished tribe,  was  becoming  less,  and  the  dread  of  death  filled 
their  hearts.  In  the  evening  poor  Adouma  came  secretly  to  my 
house  to  unburden  his  sorrowing  heart  to  me.  He,  too,  had  been 
compelled  to  take  part  in  the  dreadful  scene.  He  dared  not  even 
refrain  from  joining  in  the  curses  heaped  upon  his  poor  sister. 
He  dared  not  mourn  publicly  for  her  who  was  considered  so 
great  a  criminal. 

I  comforted  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and  spoke  to  him  of  the 
true  God,  and  of  the  wickedness  of  the  conduct  we  had  witnessed 
that  day.  He  said  at  last,  "Oh,  Chally,  when  you  go  back  to 
your  far  country,  let  them  send  men  to  us  poor  people  to  teach 
us  from  that  which  you  call  God's  mouth,"  meaning  the  Bible. 
I  promised  Adouma  to  give  the  message,  and  I  now  do  so. 

I  have  often  endeavored  to  get  at  the  secret  thoughts  of  the 
doctors  or  wonder-workers  among  these  people.  They  lead  the 
popular  superstition  in  such  manner  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  suppose  they  are  themselves  deceived,  and  yet  it  is  certain  that 
most  of  them  have  a  kind  of  faith  in  it.  Nevertheless,  it  is  not 
likely  that  they  are  impose'd  upon  to  the  same  extent  as  the  com- 
mon people,  and  this  because  they  are  most  barefaced  impos- 


448  "ASKING  ILOGO." 

tors  themselves.  They  go  about  covered  with  charms,  which 
they  themselves  give  importance  to.  They  relate  most  wonder- 
ful dreams  and  visions,  which  are  most  certainly  spun  out  of 
their  own  brains.  They  practice  all  manner  of  cheats  ;  and  when 
they  fasten  a  charge  of  sorcery  on  any  person,  it  is  scarce  possible 
to  conceive  that  in  such  a  case  they  are  the  victims  of  delusions 
which  they  themselves  create.  I  have  never  found  them  very 
friendly  to  myself,  and  never  disposed  to  assert  or  deny  any 
thing.  One  thing  only  I  can  assert  about  them  :  they  can  drink 
great  quantities  of  mboundou  without  taking  harm  from  it.  And 
this  is  one  great  source  of  their  power  over  the  people. 

Before  leaving  Goumbi,  a  grand  effort  was  made  by  the  people 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  their  king's  sufferings.  Quengueza  had 
sent  word  by  my  men  to  his  people  to  consult  Ilogo,  a  spirit  said 
to  live  in  the  moon.  The  rites  were  very  curious.  To  consult 
Ilogo,  the  time  must  be  naer  full  moon.  Early  in  the  evening  the 
women  of  the  town  assembled  in  front  of  Quengueza's  house,  and 
sung  songs  to  and  in  praise  of  Ilogo,  the  spirit  of  Ogouayli  (the 
moon),  the  latter  name  being  often  repeated.  Meantime  a  woman 
was  seated  in  the  centre  of  the  circle  of  singers,  who  sung  with 
them,  and  looked  constantly  toward  the  moon.  She  was  to  be 
inspired  by  the  spirit,  and  to  utter  prophecies. 

Two  women  made  trial  of  this  post  without  success.  At  last 
came  a  third,  a  little  woman,  wiry  and  nervous.  "When  she  seat- 
ed herself  the  singing  was  redoubled  in  fury ;  the  excitement  of 
the  people  had  had  time  to  become  intense ;  the  drums  beat;  the 
outsiders  shouted  madly.  Presently  the  woman,  who,  singing 
violently,  had  looked  constantly  toward  the  moon,  began  to  trem- 
ble. Her  nerves  twitched ;  her  face  was  contorted ;  her  muscles 
swelled ;  and  at  last  her  limbs  straightened  out,  and  she  lay  ex- 
tended on  the  ground,  insensible. 

The  excitement  was  now  intense  and  the  noise  horrible.  The 
songs  to  Ilogo  were  not  for  a  moment  discontinued.  The  word? 
were  little  varied,  and  were  to  this  amount : 

' '  Ilogo,  we  ask  thee  ! 
Tell  who  has  bewitched  the  king ! 

"  Ilogo,  we  ask  thee, 
What  shall  we  do  to  cure  the  king  ? 

"The  forests  are  thine,  Ilogo  ! 
The  rivers  are  thine,  Ilogo  ! 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER. 


449 


The  moon  is  thine ! 
O  moon  !  O  moon  !  O  moon  ! 
Thou  art  the  house  of  Ilogo  ! 
Shall  the  king  die  ?    O  Ilogo ! 
O  Ilogo  !  O  moon !  O  moon  !" 

These  words  were  repeated  again  and  again,  with  little  varia- 
tion. The  woman,  who  lay  for  some  time  insensible,  was  then 
supposed  to  be  able  to  see  things  in  the  world  of  Ilogo,  and  was 
expected  to  bring  back  a  report  thereof.  When  she  at  last  came 
to,  after  half  an  hour's  insensibility,  she  looked  very  much  pros- 
trated. She  averred  that  she  had  seen  Ilogo ;  that  he  had  told 
her  Quengueza  was  not  bewitched ;  that  a  remedy  prepared 
from  a  certain  plant  would  cure  him ;  and  so  on.  I  am  con- 
vinced the  woman  believed  what  she  said,  as  did  all  the  people. 
It  was  a  very  curious  instance  of  the  force  of  imagination  and 
extreme  excitement  combined. 

I  should  have  mentioned  before  that,  as  we  were  sailing  up  the 
river  a  little  above  Biagano,  we  had  a  fight.  The  crew  of/&ne  of 
my  canoes  got  into  a  quarrel  with  a  canoe  from  one  of  the  villages, 
and  presently  we  came  to  hard  blows.  The  noise  was  deafening, 
and  the  blows  which  were  given  on  both  sides  were  tremendous, 
and  showed  to  great  advantage  the  superior  thickness  of  the 
African  skull.  The  weapons  used  were  a  kind  of  pole,  of  very 
heavy  and  hard  wood,  called  the  tongo.  The  tongo  is  an  un- 
wieldy weapon,  being  seven  feet  long  and  about  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter. The  outer  end  is  heavier,  and  is  notched  so  as  to  inflict  se- 
verer wounds  and  when  the  battle  was  over  I  noticed  that  every 
tongo  was  covered  with  blood  and  wool.  I  am  sure  that  one 
blow  from  a  tongo  would  have  fractured  the  skull  of  a  white  man. 
The  length  of  the  tongo  makes  it  an  awkward  and  ineffective 
weapon ;  but  the  African  does  not  like  to  come  to  close  quarters 
with  his  enemy. 

When  we  had  beaten  off  the  enemy,  they  retired,  followed  by 
the  abusive  songs  of  our  side,  who  were  very  proud  of  their  vic- 
tory. Abuse  is  the  negro's  forte  and  his  delight,  and  my  fellows 
bubbled  over  with  the  most  ridiculous  reproaches,  already  set  to 
a  sort  of  impromptu  tune. 

"Your  chief  has  the  leg  of  an  elephant!"  sung  one;  and  an- 
other, 

"  Ho !  his  eldest  brother  has  the  neck  of  a  wild  ox !" 

F  F 


450 


SINGULAR  NAMES. 


"  Your  women  are  dirty  and  ugly  I" 

"  You  have  no  food  in  your  village,  poor  fellows.    Ho !  ko  !" 

And  so  they  went  on,  pouring  out  ridicule  upon  the  discomfit- 
ed foe.  Nothing  touches  a  negro  so  quickly  as  ridicule,  and  I 
fancy  my  men  will  have  to  pay  for  theirs  when  they  return. 
Their  words  were  felt  to  be  sharper  than  their  blows. 

On  the  21st  I  sent  my  Biagano  people  back.  On  the  next  day 
I  left  for  Obindji's  town  and  the  far  interior,  with  thirty-five 
Goumbi  men  and  Adouma  for  my  head-man.  The  men  I  had 
to  pay  each  about  six  dollars'  worth  of  cloth.  To  Adouma  I 
only  promised  that  I  would  "  make  his  heart  glad,"  which  means 
that  he  should  be  well  paid. 

I  was  glad  to  take  poor  Adouma  along,  not  only  to  cheer  him  up. 
but  because  thus  I  was  likely  to  save  him,  for  a  while,  at  least, 
from  his  sister's  fate.  These  tribes  have  a  belief  that  the  powers 
of  sorcery  are  inherited,  and  go  from  generation  to  generation  in 
certain  families.  Now  several  of  Adouma's  ancestors  had  been 
killed*for  witchcraft  at  different  times ;  his  sister  had  but  just  met 
the  same  fate,  and  the  poor  fellow  himself  was  quite  likely  to  be 
a  victim  when  the  next  sorcery  row  took  place. 

While  I  remained  in  the  town  I  refused  to  speak  to  the  men 
who  had  been  most  active  in  the  killing  of  the  women.  They 
felt  ashamed  when  they  saw  that  I  was  not  inclined  to  notice 
them,  and  tried  to  express  their  sorrow ;  but  I  would  hear  noth- 
ing from  them.  I  was  determined  to  show  my  horror  at  their 
conduct,  and  to  hold  out  to  them  the  threat  that  if  they  would  do 
so  they  need  expect  nothing  from  me. 

While  I  staid  at  Goumbi  this  time  I  noticed  again  that  the 
people  do  not  like  to  drink  of  the  water  of  the  river.  This  dis- 
like is  found  in  all  the  tribes  that  live  on  the  larger  streams. 
Their  women  have  to  bring  water  for  drinking  from  the  springs 
and  streamlets,  often  at  considerable  distances.  This  is  because 
they  have  a  horror  of  drinking  from  water  into  which  slaves  who 
die  and  persons  executed  for  witchcraft  are  thrown. 

On  the  22d  we  at  last  got  off.  My  goods  were  so  heavy  that 
I  required  several  canoes.  I  carried,  besides  plenty  of  ammuni- 
tion, a  large  supply  of  beads,  tobacco,  calico,  looking-glasses,  files, 
fire-steels,  etc.  Some  of  the  men  who  are  with  me  this  time  have 
most  curious  names,  such  as  Gooloo-Gani,  Biembia,  Agambie-Mo: 
Jombai,  Manda,  Akondogo. 


MANGA- HUNTING. 


451 


We  left  the  shores  of  Goumbi  without  the  customary  singing. 
Scarce  a  word  was  said.  We  were  going  to  explore  an  un- 
known, and,  to  the  negroes,  fearful  region  ;  and,  moreover,  Mpo- 
mo's  death  made  singing  out  of  order. 

The  day  was  very  hot,  and  toward  evening  we  were  overtaken 
by  a  terrible  storm  of  rain  and  wind.  I  was  glad  when,  toward 
sunset,  we  reached  the  village  of  Acaca,  where  my  friend  Acoun- 
die  soon  made  me  comfortable  and  dry.  I  was  prevailed  upon  to 
spend  a  day  here  to  hunt  the  manga,  a  species  of  manatee,  of 
whose  meat  the  people  are  very  fond. 

During  the  day  we  passed  the  celebrated  oloumi-tree ;  and  here 
the  men  fortified  their  courage  by  a  curious  superstitious  rite. 
They  went  ashore,  and  presently  stripped  bark  from  the  tree, 
which  they  boiled  in  water.  With  this  water  they  then  washed 
themselves  thoroughly,  thus  securing  to  themselves  good  fortune 
for  the  trip,  and  success  in  certain  speculations  which  they  hoped 
to  be  able  to  make  in  the  Ashira  country,  where  they  expect 
to  get  "  trusted"  with  slaves,  and  ivory,  and  cloth  to  sell  on  the 
coast. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Acaca  we  set  off  in  small, 
very  flat  canoes,  made  on  purpose  for  this  sport.  A  manga  doc- 
tor accompanied  us.  We  went  into  the  Niembai,  on  whose  grassy 
bottom  the  manga  dwells,  and  here  stationed  the  boat  among  the 
high  reeds  which  lined  the  shore.  The  doctor  spread  a  powder  he 
had  in  a  pouch  thickly  on  the  water,  and  returned  then  toward 
the  reeds.  Presently,  while  we  kept  silence,  a  great  beast  came 
to  the  surface,  and  began  greedily  sucking  in  the  powder.  Im- 
mediately they  stole  upon  it  with  the  canoe,  and,  when  they  got 
near  enough,  fastened  a  harpoon  to  it.  To  this  was  attached  a 
long  strip  of  native  rope.  The  animal  immediately  made  for  the 
bottom,  but  in  a  few  minutes  came  to  the  top,  and  presently,  after 
some  struggles,  died.  Then  they  brought  an  empty  canoe,  which 
was  upset,  and  the  body  of  the  animal  put  into  it,  whereujDon  we 
returned  to  the  village. 

Before  it  was  cut  up  the  manga  doctor  went  through  some  cer- 
emonies which  I  did  not  see,  and  nobody  was  permitted  to  see 
the  animal  while  he  was  cutting  it  up. 

This  manga  is  a  new  species  of  manatee.  Its  body  is  of  a 
dark  lead  color;  the  skin  is  smooth,  very  thick,  and  covered  in 
all  parts  with  single  bristly  hairs  from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  in 


452 


KEEPING  A  CREDITOR. 


length.  The  eyes  are  very  small ;  the  paddles  are  without  nails. 
The  specimen  we  killed  was  ten  feet  long.  Its  circumference 
was  very  considerable,  but  I  could  not  get  at  it  to  measure  it. 
This  animal  feeds  on  the  leaves  and  grass  growing  on  the  river 
banks. 

The  people  were  greatly  rejoiced.  The  beast  weighed  about 
1500  pounds,  and  the  meat  is  delicious — something  like  pork, 
but  finer  grained  and  of  a  sweeter  flavor.  To-night  all  hands 
were  smoking  it.  The  doctor  was  greatly  rejoiced  at  his  success, 
and  praised  himself  to  me  at  a  great  rate.  But  I  could  not  dis- 
cover the  composition  of  his  powder,  which  was  certainly  quite 
efficacious. 

On  the  24th  we  started  for  the  inland.  "When  we  got  to  Mpo- 
po  I  found  my  men  would  not  be  able  to  carry  all  my  luggage. 
I  had  to  hire  more.  The  chief  asked  his  wives  to  furnish  some 
slaves  for  me,  but  they  asked  such  a  price  for  their  services  that 
I  would  not  give  it.  It  is  curious  how  seldom  a  husband  in  this 
country  interferes  with  that  property  which  he  has  given  to  his 
wives.  The  women  jealously  guard  their  rights  in  this  respect ; 
and  so  long  as  they  feed  their  husbands  and  make  them  comfort- 
able, they  are  not,  in  many  things,  subject  to  male  rule  at  all. 

On  the  26th  we  got  to  Obindji's  town.  The  old  fellow  was  re- 
joiced to  see  me,  and  here  I  got  several  Ashira  men  and  two 
Bakalai,  which  makes  my  troop  up  to  thirty-two  men  all  told,  and 
sets  me  on  my  way  rejoicing. 

One  of  the  Ashira  fellows  was  here  last  spring  when  I  was 
here.  He  had  brought  a  slave  to  Obindji  to  sell  for  him,  and  he 
had  been  waiting  for  the  proceeds  ever  since.  He  might  have 
waited  a  year  or  two  longer  if  I  had  not  come,  and  he  would 
have  done  so  quite  willingly.  The  creditor  in  such  case  lives 
with  the  debtor.  Okendjo  was  fed  by  Obindji's  wife ;  and,  to 
comfort  and  cheer  him  while  he  was  waiting,  Obindji  gave  him 
one  of  his  own  wives — a  hospitable  custom  in  this  part  of  Africa, 
which  a  man  is  always  expected  to  observe  toward  his  visitors. 
"Whenever  I  entered  a  strange  village,  the  chief  always  made 
haste  to  place  a  part,  and  often  his  whole  harem  at  my  service. 
Time  was  literally  of  no  account  to  Okendjo.  Obindji's  town 
was  as  jolly  a  place  as  any  village  of  his  own  country.  And  per- 
haps, in  a  few  months,  his  goods  would  come.  So  the  days  went 
on  pleasantly  with  him. 

* 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF  POOR  QUERLAOUEN. 


458 


When  lie  heard  my  destination  mentioned,  he  at  once  con- 
ceived the  brilliant  idea  of  having  the  honor  of  guiding  the  first 
white  man  to  his  king,  and  thus  gaining  imperishable  renown  to 
himself.  I  was  very  glad  to  have  him,  as  he  was  a  very  intelli- 
gent negro. 

Yesterday,  as  we  approached  Obindji's  town,  we  came  to  the 
plantation  of  my  old  friend  Querlaouen.  I  got  out  of  the  canoe, 
and  went  ashore  to  greet  the  good  old  African  and  his  wife  and 
children,  for  whom  I  had  brought  presents  such  as  they  wished. 
But  alas !  I  found  no  house  or  plantation.  The  place  was  desert- 
ed; the  jungle  was  thickest  where  his  little  clearing  had  been, 
and  I  walked  back  with  disappointed  and  foreboding  heart.  On 
the  shore  I  met  a  Bakalai,  who  told  me  poor  Querlaouen's  story. 
Some  months  before  the  old  hunter  had  gone  out  after  an  ele- 
phant. His  slave  heard  the  report  of  the  gun,  and,  finding  that 
his  master  did  not  return,  set  out  to  hunt  him.  He  found  him  in 
the  forest  dead,  and  trampled  into  a  shapeless  mass  by  the  beast, 
which  he  had  wounded  mortally,  but  which  had  strength  enough 
left  to  rush  at  and  kill  its  enemy.  The  poor  body  was  brought 
in  and  buried.  But  now  came  in  the  devilish  superstitions  of  the 
Africans.  This  family  really  loved  each  other.  They  lived  to- 
gether in  peace  and  unity.  But  the  people  declared  that  Querla- 
ouen's brother  had  bewitched  him  and  caused  his  death.  The 
brother  was  killed  by  the  mboundou  ordeal,  and  the  women  and 
children  were  gone  to  live  with  those  to  whom  they  belonged 
by  the  laws  of  inheritance,  and  were  thus  scattered  in  several 
villages. 

Early  on  the  27th  we  were  awakened  by  the  voice  of  Obindji, 
who  was  recommending  Okendjo  to  take  great  care  of  "  his  white 
man,"  and  see  that  nothing  hurt  him.  We  were  soon  under 
weigh.  Our  road  led  up  the  Ofoubou  for  some  three  miles  and  a 
half.  Then  we  struck  off  to  the  due  east,  and  after  half  an  hour's 
arduous  travel  we  got  through  the  marshy  bottom  land  which 
bounds  the  river,  and  stood  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  ridge,  along 
which  lay  the  route  to  Ashira-land.  Here  we  gave  three  cheers, 
and  with  great  hopes  I  led  the  way  into  a  new  terra  incognita. 

By  five  that  night,  when  we  encamped,  we  had  advanced  in  a 
straight  line  about  twenty  miles  from  the  Ofoubou.  The  country 
was  mountainous,  very  rugged,  and  very  thickly  wooded  with 
great  trees.    The  ground  was  in  many  places  thickly  strewn 


454 


GREAT  EXPECTATIONS  OF  MY  MEN. 


with  the  immense  boulders  which  I  had  noticed  in  my  journey 
to  the  Fans,  only  here  quartz  rock  was  more  abundant.  Nu- 
merous streams  of  the  purest  and  most  crystalline  water  rolled 
in  every  direction,  tumbling  over  the  rocks  in  foaming  cascades, 
or  purling  along  in  a  bed  of  white  pebbles,  which  was  delightfully 
reminiscent  of  the  hill-streams  and  trout-brooks  of  home. 

This  night  we  had  no  rain-storm,  which  was  very  lucky,  as, 
when  camping-time  came,  we  were  too  tired  to  build  ourselves 
shelters.  Before  this  there  had  not  a  night  passed  since  I  started 
from  Biagano  that  we  did  not  have  one  of  the  powerful  storms  of 
mixed  wind  and  rain  for  which  this  is  the  proper  season.  Sev- 
eral times  they  even  overtook  us  by  day. 

Our  camp  was  full  of  life  this  evening.  The  men  were  rejoic- 
ing in  anticipation  of  great  trade  in  slaves  and  ivory,  and  gave 
their  imagination  full  swing.  When  trade  was  exhausted,  they 
rejoiced  over  the  wives  they  would  get  among  the  Ashira,  where 
they  expect,  as  strangers  from  a  far  land,  to  be  sumptuously  en- 
tertained. And  at  last  Okendjo  capped  their  pleasure  by  prom- 
ising them  great  feasts  of  goats  and  plantains,  the  Goumbi  and  Ba- 
kalai  regarding  Ashira-land  as  the  country  of  goats  and  plantains. 

We  were  kept  awake  between  one  and  three  o'clock  by  the 
roarings  of  a  leopard,  which,  however,  could  not  face  the  fire, 
which  we  had  kept  bright,  so  he  could  not  make  his  breakfast 
from  one  of  us  as  he  desired.  But  neither  did  I  think  it  quite 
safe  to  venture  into  the  gloom  after  him.  The  leopard  is  a  beast 
that  can  not  be  trifled  with  even  by  white  men.  As  for  the  ne- 
groes, they  are  very  much  afraid  of  him ;  and  I  have  known 
cases  where  so  many  persons  were  carried  away  out  of  a  village 
by  a  persistent  leopard,  who  had  got  a  taste  of  black  meat  and 
liked  it,  that  the  survivors  had  to  move  away. 

Next  morning  (29th)  I  found  out  that  the  fellows  had  slyly 
thrown  away  a  quantity  of  my  plantains,  to  be  relieved  of  the 
burden.  I  warned  them  that,  if  we  were  short  of  food,  they  would 
have  to  starve  first. 

This  day  the  country  was  much  as  yesterday.  Ebony  grows 
in  great  abundance  on  all  hands.  The  poorer  the  soil,  the  taller 
the  trees,  and  the  more  numerous.  In  many  places  the  rains  had 
washed  away  the  soil  from  the  immense  and  wide-spreading 
roots,  which  ran  along  the  ground  looking  like  huge  serpents. 
To-day  we  saw  for  the  first  time  a  tree  new  to  me,  and  which  my 


VAST  BOULDERS. 


455 


men  called  the  indoonoo.  It  has  an  immense  girth,  and  is  a  much 
taller  and  better  shaped  tree  than  the  baobab,  which  is  not  found 
in  this  part  of  Africa.  I  measured  one,  of  only  moderate  size, 
which  had  fallen  down,  and  found  it,  at  some  feet  from  the  base, 
eight  feet  in  diameter.  This  tree  is  not  known  on  the  Eembo, 
and  was  as  new  to  my  Bakalai  as  to  me.  The  Ashira  fellows, 
however,  knew  it  very  well. 

I  think  the  blocks  of  quartz  grow  more  and  more  immense  as 
we  proceed.  To-day  there  were  some  which  were  really  stu- 
pendous masses,  and  it  was  a  most  curious  sight  to  see  our  cara- 
van filing  between  two  such  ponderous  blocks,  looking  like  pig- 
mies alongside  of  these  huge  boulders. 

Toward  evening,  at  last,  we  began  to  see  signs  of  a  change  in 
the  face  of  the  country.  Plantations  could  be  seen  from  time  to 
time ;  the  soil  became  more  clayey ;  and  at  last  we  emerged  from 
the  immense  forest.  I  saw  spread  out  before  me  the  great  Ashira 
prairie-land,  dotted  plentifully  with  villages,  which  looked  in  the 
distance  like  ant-heaps.  I  stood  for  a  long  time  on  the  edge  of  a 
bluff,  taking  in  this,  one  of  the  finest  landscapes  I  ever  saw  in  my 
life.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach  was  a  high  rolling  prairie.  As 
I  afterward  discovered,  the  plain  is  about  fifty-five  miles  long  by 
ten  wide.  All  over  this  vast  plain  were  scattered  collections  of 
little  Ashira  huts.  The  hills  and  valleys  were  streaked  with  rib- 
bon-like paths,  and  here  and  there  the  eye  caught  the  silver  sheen 
of  a  brook  winding  along  through  the  undulating  land.  In  the 
far  distance  loomed  up  mountains  higher  than  any  I  had  yet  seen, 
and  whose  peaks  were  lost  in  the  clouds.    It  was  a  grand  sight. 


456 


ASHIRA-LAND  AT  LAST. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

We  enter  Ashira-land. — Astonishment  of  the  People  at  my  Appearance. — Their 
Fear  of  my  Eyes. — Grand  Reception. — Message  and  Presents  from  the^Ashira 
King. — Kendo. — King  Olenda. — His  Address  to  me. — I  am  an  Object  of  great 
Wonder. — My  Clock  a  Fetich. — Features  of  the  Plain. — Villages. — Houses. — 
Agriculture. — Appearance  of  the  Ashira. — Dress. — Grass-cloth. — Loom. — Curi- 
ous Custom  of  young  Women. — Operation  of  Dyeing. — Manner  of  Hair-dressing. 
— Peculiarities. — Fears  of  the  Slaves. — Condition  of  Women. — Marriage. — Splen- 
did Water-fall. — Mount  Nchondo. — A  Superstition  about  it. — A  Case  of  Insanity. 
— Ascent  of  Mount  Andele. — Meet  a  Nshiego  Mbouve. — How  it  rests  at  Night. — 
Attempt  to  ascend  the  Nkoomoo-nabouali. — Gorilla  killed. — Difficulties  of  the 
Ascent. — Starvation. 

To  make  our  entry  into  Ashira-land  properly,  Okendjo  sent 
two  men  ahead  to  announce  that  "the  spirit"  was  coming  to  see 
them,  and  that  he  (Okendjo)  had  been  selected  as  his  guide. 
Soon,  in  the  nearest  village,  we  began  to  see  people  moving  about 
hurriedly,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  whole  plain  knew  something 
had  occurred.  Meantime  those  nearest  us  came  out  to  meet  us, 
and  we  moved  forward  to  them.  When  they  saw  me,  all  stop- 
ped, and  the  majority  turned  back  with  awe  and  alarm  depicted 
on  their  faces.  We  continued  to  advance  slowly.  It  was  nearly 
dusk  when  we  entered  the  nearest  village.  But  very  few  of  the 
people  dared  to  approach  me ;  and  even  those  took  to  flight  if  I 
fixed  my  eye  upon  them,  evidently  fearing  I  would  do  them  a 
mischief. 

Okendjo  walked  ahead  of  me,  proclaiming,  in  a  most  magnilo- 
quent manner,  the  many  virtues  of  the  great  white  man  or  spirit 
whom  he  had  brought  to  see  his  countrymen.  And  the  crowd 
answered  to  his  words  in  shouts,  "  The  tangani  has  come !  The 
spirit  has  come  to  see  our  land  —  our  land,  which  he  never  saw 
before !" 

It  happened  luckily  that  the  chief  of  the  first  village  we  came 
to  was  a  brother  of  Okendjo.  Akoonga  met  us  at  the  entrance 
of  his  place,  and  said,  "  Is  it  true,  Okendjo,  what  I  hear,  that  you 
bring  to  us  this  man?  Is  it  not  an  hallucination  of  my  mind,  oc- 
casioned by  too  much  palm  wine  ?    Is  he  the  white  man  who 


PLEASANT  KECEPTION. 


457 


makes  the  guns,  the  cloth,  the  beads,  the  brass  rods,  and  the  cop- 
per rings?" 

Okendjo  replied,  "  He  is  the  man.  This  is  he  of  whom  you 
have  heard  so  much.    He  comes  from  a  far  country  to  see  us." 

Then  the  people  shouted  out  their  surprise.  A  house  was 
given  me,  and  when  I  had  taken  possession  the  chief  came,  fol- 
lowed by  ten  of  his  wives,  each  bearing  two  bunches  of  plantains, 
which,  with  fear  and  trembling,  they  deposited  at  my  feet.  Next 
were  brought  four  goats,  twenty  fowls,  several  baskets  of  ground- 
nuts, and  many  bunches  of  sugar-cane. 

When  these  were  delivered,  Akoonga  said  to  Okendjo,  "  Tell 
the  spirit  that  I  thank  him  that  he  stays  in  my  village  a  night. 
Tell  him  he  is  welcome,  and  all  those  who  follow  him.  He  is  the 
master  while  he  is  here.  This  food  is  for  him.  As  for  his  peo- 
ple, my  women  will  cook  for  them." 

I  thanked  him. 

Then,  showing  me  the  house,  he  said,  "It  is  your  house ;  my 
wives  are  yours ;  my  slaves  are  yours ;  my  people  are  yours." 

Then,  at  last,  I  had  a  chance  to  refresh  myself  with  supper. 
After  supper,  being  tired,  I  lay  down,  but  was  not  yet  asleep 
when  I  heard  the  chief  say  to  his  people,  "Be  silent;  do  not 
trouble  the  spirit ;  do  not  speak  lest  you  awake  him.  Our  fore- 
fathers nor  ourselves  ever  saw  such  a  wonder  as  this." 

The  consequence  of  this  kind  and  very  unusual  forethought 
was  that  I  enjoyed  a  very  good  night's  rest. 

By  my  reckoning,  the  village  of  Akoonga  is  two  hundred  and 
forty  miles  east  from  Cape  Lopez. 

Early  next  morning  the  rush  of  people  began.  They  were  less 
afraid  than  on  the  evening  before,  and  crowded  around  me  in 
such  masses  that  I  was  nearly  stifled.  As  usual,  my  hair  was  the 
great  object  of  wonder  to  them.  I  stood  it  as  long  as  I  could, 
but  at  last  had  to  ask  the  chief  to  send  them  away.  Not  to  dis- 
appoint their  curiosity  too  much,  I  consented  to  walk  through 
the  streets  at  intervals  of  an  hour  or  two,  and  thus  give  all  an  op- 
portunity to  look  at  me.  This  piece  of  complaisance  gratified 
them  immensely. 

In  the  morning,  Olenda,  the  king  or  head  chief  of  the  Ashiras, 
sent  two  messengers  with  presents  of  goats  and  plantains,  and  a 
desire  that  I  should  come  to  his  town.  I  sent  back  word  that  I 
would  the  day  after  to-morrow ;  to-day  my  feet  were  too  sore. 


456 


ASHIRA-LAND  AT  LAST. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

We  enter  Ashira-land. — Astonishment  of  the  People  at  my  Appearance. — Their 
Fear  of  my  Eyes. — Grand  Reception. — Message  and  Presents  from  the.Ashira 
King. — Kendo. — King  Olenda. — His  Address  to  me. — I  am  an  Object  of  great 
Wonder. — My  Clock  a  Fetich. — Features  of  the  Plain. — Villages. — Houses. — 
Agriculture. — Appearance  of  the  Ashira. — Dress. — Grass-cloth. — Loom. — Curi- 
ous Custom  of  young  Women. — Operation  of  Dyeing. — Manner  of  Hair-dressing. 
— Peculiarities. — Fears  of  the  Slaves. — Condition  of  Women. — Marriage. — Splen- 
did Water-fall. — Mount  Nchondo. — A  Superstition  about  it. — A  Case  of  Insanity. 
— Ascent  of  Mount  Andele. — Meet  a  Nshiego  Mbouve. — How  it  rests  at  Night. — 
Attempt  to  ascend  the  Nkoomoo-nabouali. — Gorilla  killed. — Difficulties  of  the 
Ascent. — Starvation. 

To  make  our  entry  into  Ashira-land  properly,  Okendjo  sent 
two  men  ahead  to  announce  that  "the  spirit"  was  coming  to  see 
them,  and  that  he  (Okendjo)  had  been  selected  as  his  guide. 
Soon,  in  the  nearest  village,  we  began  to  see  people  moving  about 
hurriedly,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  whole  plain  knew  something 
had  occurred.  Meantime  those  nearest  us  came  out  to  meet  us. 
and  we  moved  forward  to  them.  "When  they  saw  me,  all  stop- 
ped, and  the  majority  turned  back  with  awe  and  alarm  depicted 
on  their  faces.  We  continued  to  advance  slowly.  It  was  nearly 
dusk  when  we  entered  the  nearest  village.  But  very  few  of  the 
people  dared  to  approach  me ;  and  even  those  took  to  flight  if  I 
fixed  my  eye  upon  them,  evidently  fearing  I  would  do  them  a 
mischief. 

Okendjo  walked  ahead  of  me,  proclaiming,  in  a  most  magnilo- 
quent manner,  the  many  virtues  of  the  great  white  man  or  spirit 
whom  he  had  brought  to  see  his  countrymen.  And  the  crowd 
answered  to  his  words  in  shouts,  "  The  tangani  has  come !  The 
spirit  has  come  to  see  our  land  —  our  land,  which  he  never  saw 
before !" 

It  happened  luckily  that  the  chief  of  the  first  village  we  came 
to  was  a  brother  of  Okendjo.  Akoonga  met  us  at  the  entrance 
of  his  place,  and  said,  "  Is  it  true,  Okendjo,  what  I  hear,  that  you 
bring  to  us  this  man?  Is  it  not  an  hallucination  of  my  mind,  oc- 
casioned by  too  much  palm  wine  ?    Is  he  the  white  man  who 


PLEASANT  KECEPTION. 


457 


makes  the  guns,  the  cloth,  the  beads,  the  brass  rods,  and  the  cop- 
per rings  ?" 

Okendjo  replied,  "He  is  the  man.  This  is  he  of  whom  you 
have  heard  so  much.    He  comes  from  a  far  country  to  see  us." 

Then  the  people  shouted  out  their  surprise.  A  house  was 
given  me,  and  when  I  had  taken  possession  the  chief  came,  fol- 
lowed by  ten  of  his  wives,  each  bearing  two  bunches  of  plantains, 
which,  with  fear  and  trembling,  they  deposited  at  my  feet.  Next 
were  brought  four  goats,  twenty  fowls,  several  baskets  of  ground- 
nuts, and  many  bunches  of  sugar-cane. 

When  these  were  delivered,  Akoonga  said  to  Okendjo,  "  Tell 
the  spirit  that  I  thank  him  that  he  stays  in  my  village  a  night. 
Tell  him  he  is  welcome,  and  all  those  who  follow  him.  He  is  the 
master  while  he  is  here.  This  food  is  for  him.  As  for  his  peo- 
ple, my  women  will  cook  for  them." 

I  thanked  him. 

Then,  showing  me  the  house,  he  said,  "It  is  your  house ;  my 
wives  are  yours ;  my  slaves  are  yours ;  my  people  are  yours." 

Then,  at  last,  I  had  a  chance  to  refresh  myself  with  supper. 
After  supper,  being  tired,  I  lay  down,  but  was  not  yet  asleep 
when  I  heard  the  chief  say  to  his  people,  "Be  silent;  do  not 
trouble  the  spirit ;  do  not  speak  lest  you  awake  him.  Our  fore- 
fathers nor  ourselves  ever  saw  such  a  wonder  as  this." 

The  consequence  of  this  kind  and  very  unusual  forethought 
was  that  I  enjoyed  a  very  good  night's  rest. 

By  my  reckoning,  the  village  of  Akoonga  is  two  hundred  and 
forty  miles  east  from  Cape  Lopez. 

Early  next  morning  the  rush  of  people  began.  They  were  less 
afraid  than  on  the  evening  before,  and  crowded  around  me  in 
such  masses  that  I  was  nearly  stifled.  As  usual,  my  hair  was  the 
great  object  of  wonder  to  them.  I  stood  it  as  long  as  I  could, 
but  at  last  had  to  ask  the  chief  to  send  them  away.  Not  to  dis- 
appoint their  curiosity  too  much,  I  consented  to  walk  through 
the  streets  at  intervals  of  an  hour  or  two,  and  thus  give  all  an  op- 
portunity to  look  at  me.  This  piece  of  complaisance  gratified 
them  immensely. 

In  the  morning,  Olenda,  the  king  or  head  chief  of  the  Ashiras, 
sent  two  messengers  with  presents  of  goats  and  plantains,  and  a 
desire  that  I  should  come  to  his  town.  I  sent  back  word  that  I 
would  the  day  after  to-morrow ;  to-day  my  feet  were  too  sore. 


458 


THE  ASHIRA  KING. 


The  king  sent  word  that  I  should  be  carried  if  I  would  come. 
I  replied  that  I  would  come  on  the  day  I  had  appointed.  That 
I  never  broke  my  word  nor  ever  changed  my  mind. 

Accordingly,  on  November  2d,  early  in  the  morning,  I  was 
aroused  by  King  Olenda's  people,  who  had  come  to  escort  me 
with  singing  and  dancing.  I  took  leave  of  Akoonga,  giving  him 
a  present  of  one  hundred  yards  of  cloth,  and  some  beads,  and  an 
old  shirt,  whereat  he  was  hugely  delighted. 

My  men  had  now  easy  times.  My  baggage  was  carried  alto- 
gether by  the  Ashira,  who  marched  ahead  singing  wild  songs 
celebrating  my  arrival  among  them.  After  a  journey  of  ten 
miles  over  the  grassy  prairie  we  came  to  Olenda's  town,  which 

may  be  called  the 
capital  of  the  na- 
tion. I  was  con- 
ducted to  the  best 
house  in  the  place; 
and,  after  waiting 
half  an  hour,  the 
ringing  of  the  kendo  announced  the  approach  of 
the  king. 

The  kendo  is  the  sceptre  of  royalty  in  some  of 
the  tribes  of  this  part  of  Central  Africa.  It  is  a 
rude  bell  of  iron,  fashioned  with  a  long  handle, 
also  of  iron  and  of  the  same  piece,  as  shown  in 
the  engraving.  The  sound  which  with  us  an- 
nounces the  vicinity  of  a  herd  of  cows  or  sheep, 
in  Africa  precedes  the  advent  of  the  sovereign, 
who  uses  the  kendo  only  when  on  visits  of  state  or 
on  business  of  importance. 

At  last  King  Olenda  stood  before  me — a  most 
surprising  object  indeed.  He  was  an  old,  old 
man,  with  wool  as  white  as  snow,  face  a  mass  of 
wrinkles,  and  body  thin,  lean,  and  bent  almost 
double  with  age.  He  had  painted  his  haggard 
old  face  red  on  one  side  and  white  on  the  other, 
in  streaks,  and,  as  he  stood  before  me,  I  wondered 
as  much  at  his  appearance  as  did  he  at  mine. 
When  we  had  looked  at  each  other  for  some  five  minutes  he 
made  me  a  formal  address  in  Ashira,  which  was  translated  for  me 


KOYAL  ADDRESS  TO  ME. 


459 


by  Okendjo.  He  said,  "I  have  no  bowels.  I  am  like  the  Ovenga 
Kiver ;  I  can  not  be  cut  in  two.  But  also  I  am  like  the  Niembai 
and  Ovenga  rivers,  which  unite  together.  Thus  my  body  is 
united,  and  nothing  can  divide  it." 

This  gibberish,  which  may  possibly  have  had  some  mystic  sig- 
nificance at  one  time,  I  afterward  discovered  was  the  regular  and 
invariable  salutation  of  the  Ashira  kings,  Olenda's  predecessors, 
time  out  of  mind.  Each  chief  and  important  person  has  such  a 
salutation,  which  they  call  kombo. 

Then  he  continued :  "  You,  the  spirit,  have  come  to  see  Olenda. 
You,  the  spirit,  have  put  your  feet  where  none  like  you  have 
ever  been.    You  are  welcome." 

Here  the  old  king's  son,  also  a  very  old  negro,  with  snow-white 
wool,  handed  over  to  the  king  two  slaves,  which  the  king  formal- 
ly presented  to  me,  together  with  three  goats,  twenty  bunches  of 
plantains,  twenty  fowls,  five  baskets-  of  ground-nuts,  and  several 
bunches  of  sugar-cane. 

"  This,"  said  he,  "  is  to  salute  you.  "Whatever  else  you  want, 
tell  me.  I  am  the  king  of  this  country.  "Whatever  else  you 
wish,  let  it  be  known  to  me." 

I  replied  that  slaves  I  did  not  want,  but  that  if  any  of  his  peo- 
ple were  on  the  coast  I  should  be  glad  to  have  them  taught  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  white  man,  that  they  might  come  and  tell  it, 
to  their  people. 

Then  more  of  the  old  man's  children  came,  all  old,  and  wrink- 
led, and  white-headed  men.  They  stood  before  me,  regarding  me 
with  wonder  and  awe;  while  the  people,  of  whom  thousands 
were  gathered  from  all  the  villages  of  the  plain,  looked  on  in  si- 
lence, and  expressed  their  surprise  in  whispers. 

At  last  the  old  king  turned  to  his  people  and  said,  "I  have 
seen  many  things  in  my  life,  and  many  wonderful  things,  and 
now  I  am  ready  to  die,  for  I  have  seen  the  spirit  from  whom  we 
receive  all  things.  It  will  always  be  said  in  our  nation  by  those 
coming  after  us,  that  in  the  time  of  Olenda  the  spirit  first  appear- 
ed and  dwelt  among  us.  You  are  welcome"  (turning  to  me). 
"  Keep  this  spirit  well  (to  his  people) ;  he  will  do  us  good." 

It  was  a  very  impressive  scene,  and  all  was  conducted  with 
great  decorum  and  dignity. 

Nov.  9th.  The  last  week  has  been  devoted  to  seeing  and  being 
seen.    From  all  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  villages  of  the  plain 


• 


460  I  ASTONISH  THE  NATIVES. 

the  people  have  streamed  to  Olenda's  town  to  see  "the  spirit.'* 
They  come  in  the  night,  sleep  on  the  ground  outside  the  town, 
and  in  the  morning  crowd  about  me,  following  me  with  curious 
gaze,  wondering  at  my  hair,  and  trying,  unobserved,  to  get  a 
glance  at  my  eyes.  The  moment  I  look  at  them  they  run  off, 
especially  the  women  and  children.  The  African  has  a  great 
dread  of  the  steady  look  of  a  white  man's  eye.  They  believe  it 
has  an  evil-working  influence,  and  it  is  certainly  a  potent  weap- 
on to  reduce  a  refractory  or  turbulent  crowd.  Even  the  bravest 
warrior  will  quail  beneath  the  steady  glance  of  a  white  man. 

My  clock  is  an  object  of  constant  wonder  to  them.  They  think 
it  watches  over  me.  Its  constant  ticking  day  and  night  is  no- 
ticed, and  this,  to  them,  denotes  the  watchfulness  of  my  familiar. 
Nothing  could  persuade  them  that  a  musical  box  which  I  some- 
times wound  up,  and  caused  to  play  for  them,  was  not  a  very 
powerful  devil  in  my  employ.  And,  though  they  have  a  few 
guns,  and  know  their  use,  my  revolver  excited  not  only  their  ad- 
miration, but  a  superstitious  kind  of  reverence.  They  could  not 
comprehend  a  machine  which  could  fire  right  ahead  without 
stopping. 

The  Ashira  plain,  which  I  have  in  this  week  to  some  extent 
explored,  is  the  finest  and  most  delightful  country  I  have  seen  in 
^  Africa.  The  soil  is  light,  but  tolerably  good.  It  is  well  watered 
with  small  brooks.  The  undulations  of  the  prairie,  which  is,  in 
fact,  a  table-land  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  higher  mountains, 
give  the  landscape  a  charming  variety.  The  surrounding  mount- 
ains, the  splendid  peak  of  the  Nkoomoo-nabouali  on  the  north, 
the  Andele  and  Ofoubou  to  the  south,  the  peaks  of  Ococoo  to  the 
east,  are  all  covered  with  dense  masses  of  forest,  and  lend  a  solemn 
majesty  to  the  scene,  from  whatever  point  it  is  viewed.  They 
thoroughly  inclose  the  great  prairie,  their  forests  reaching  to  the 
very  feet  of  the  hills,  and  marking,  with  curious  distinctness,  the 
boundary  beyond  which  man  has  not  encroached. 

I  learned  from  the  natives  that  beyond  the  Nkoumou-nabouali 
range  a  superb  cataract  was  known.  A  stream  called  the  Eembo 
Ngouyai  runs  through  a  high  defile,  and  finally  falls  into  the 
plain  down  an  abrupt  precipice,  resuming  its  course  around  the 
very  base  of  the  mountain.  Its  roar  fills  the  whole  surrounding 
country,  and  its  vapor  rises  along  the  sides  of  the  mountain  into 
a  magnificent  rainbowed  column  visible  at  a  great  distance.  This 


ASHIRA  VILLAGES.  461 

great  fall,  called  the  Samba  Nagoshi,  I  hoped  afterward  to  see, 
but  the  reader  will  see  that  the  fates  denied  me  this  pleasure.  I 
floated  on  the  Eembo  ISTgouyai,  within  sight  of  the  vapor  rising 
from  the  cataract,  and  listened  to  its  sublime  roar,  but  in  my  light 
canoe  I  did  not  dare  risk  a  near  approach  through  turbulent  wa- 
ters ;  while  the  approach  overland  was  found  too  difficult  for  my 
time,  and  strength,  and  limited  supplies.  The  negroes  of  this  re- 
gion are  full  of  wonderful  stories  of  its  fury.  They  believe  that 
beyond  the  mountains  lives  a  great  spirit  who  sends  down  this 
torrent. 

The  villages  were  so  scattered  at  random  that  I  could  not 
make  an  accurate  count  of  them,  but  there  are  between  150  and 
200.  They  are  the  neatest  I  have  seen  in  Africa.  The  houses 
are  small,  but  cleanly,  and  built  of  tree-bark.  The  village  is  gen- 
erally composed  of  one  long  street,  with  houses  on  each  side. 
The  streets  are  kept  very  clean ;  and  this  is  the  only  tribe  where 
the  ground  back  of  the  houses  is  also  cleared  off.  The  villages 
are  surrounded  by  thousands  of  plantain-trees,  and  regular  paths 
connect  them  with  each  other.  I  learned  that  villages  are  re- 
moved, as  among  other  tribes,  for  death  or  witchcraft,  but  not  be- 
yond the  plains. 

Back  of  each  village,  in  particular  near  the  boundary  of  the 
forest,  are  great  plantations,  carried  on  with  much  industry,  and 
where  tobacco,  peanuts,  plantains,  yams,  and  sugar-cane  are  grown 


ASOIEA  TOBACCO. 

in  quantities  which  make  this  a  land  of  plenty,  where  no  man 
starves.  Bushes  of  wild  cotton  were  seen  now  and  then,  but  not 
in  great  plenty.  As  I  stood  on  one  of  the  highest  hills  which  di- 
versify the  plain,  and  cast  my  eyes  over  the  scene,  the  yellow 
waving  grass  and  cane-fields  contrasting  with  the  dark  green  of 
the  forest,  reminded  me  strongly  of  the  harvest-fields  of  my  home, 


462 


THE  A  SHIR  A  PEOPLE. 


and  gave  the  landscape  a  charm  of  homely  rural  beauty  which  1? 
lacking  elsewhere  in  Africa,  where  all  is  wild  and  grand,  but 
where  the  traveler's  heart  often  aches  for  something  which  shall 
remind  him  of  home. 

The  people  are  the  finest  I  have  seen  in  Africa.  They  are  evi- 
dently a  separate  nation,  for  the  Bakalai  and  other  tribes  who 
surround  them  are  much  lighter  colored.  The  Ashira  are  inva- 
riably coal-black.  The  women,  in  particular,  have  fine  forms,  and, 
though  they  have  full  negro  features,  many  of  the  young  women 
have  a  grace  of  carriage  and  a  sprightliness  of  manner  which  is 
something  quite  un-African. 

The  dress  of  the  men  and  married  women  consists  of  a  flowing 
garment  called  a  ndengui,  which  is  made  of  a  kind  of  grass-cloth 
woven  by  them,  and  which  I  found,  in  many  cases,  of  very  fine 
and  tolerably  even  texture.  The  loom  is  a  complicated  struc- 
ture, which  is  suspended  between  two  trees,  or  at  the  front  of  the 
house.  It  is  worked  on  the  same  principle  on  which  seamen 
make  their  mats  on  board  ship,  having  two  sets  of  "  dividers,"  to 
separate  the  web  and  admit  the  shuttle  with  the  warp.  The 
thread  which  is  used  is  obtained  from  a  species  of  palm  which  I 
saw  only  here  and  among  the  Apingi.  They  take  the  leaf,  which 
is  from  two  to  three  feet  long,  and  strip  off  from  it  the  thin  cuti- 
cle, which  is  then  twisted,  and  becomes  a  tolerably  firm  yarn. 
They  told  me  that  this  tree  is  very  short-lived,  dying  after  hav- 
ing borne  fruit  but  once. 

They  sew  very  neatly  with  a  wooden  needle  and  grass  thread, 
a  skein  of  which  is  here  represented. 


/ 

ASHIRA  THEEAD  AXD  XHDLE. 

By  a  singular  fashion,  which  I  never  saw  elsewhere,  girls  and 
young  women,  till  they  are  married,  are  not  permitted  to  wear  any 
clothing  except  the  narrow  grass-cloth  girdle  about  the  middle. 
It  is  only  when  she  marries  that  an  Ashira  belle  is  permitted  to 
assume  a  garment  which  conceals  her  ebony  charms.  They  wan- 
der about  as  freely  as  a  total  absence  of  the  sentiment  of  modesty 


COSTUME  OF  THE  ASHIRA 


463 


can  let  them.  Their  scant  toilet  was  simply  a  fashion  of  such 
long  standing  that  it  was  taken  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  men,  who  are  not  nearly  as  finely  built  as  the  women, 
though  they  too  are  superior  to  the  men  of  the  surrounding 
tribes,  wear  on  their  heads  caps  of  grass-thread  knit  in  a  most 
beautiful  manner,  something  in  the  style  of  the  crochet  work 
which  is  the  amusement  of  our  ladies.  The  cap  is  called  ashita. 
From  their  shoulders  hangs  a  bag,  made  something  after  the 
fashion  of  our  game-bags,  with  a  mass  of  pendent  strings  sur- 
rounding the  bag.  It  is  a  very  pretty  thing,  and  is  used  to  carry 
whatever  they  may  have,  which  we  would  put  in  our  pockets. 


ASHIRA  WEAPONS. 


Both  men  and  women  are  very  fond  of  copper  ornaments,  such 
as  bracelets  and  anklets,  which  they  manufacture  from  the  copper 
brought  hither  by  th^pakalai  from  the  sea-shore. 

Some  of  their  grass-cloth  remains  of  its  natural  color,  which  is 
a  dark  buff.  Other  articles  are  dyed  black  in  a  very  ingenious 
manner.  A  beautiful  bush,  which  grows  in  abundance  here, 
bears  a  profusion  of  small  berries,  in  which  the  dye  is  secreted. 
To  obtain  it,  however,  it  is  necessary  first  to  rub  the  cloth  thor- 
oughly with  clay  until  it  is  quite  covered,  and  then  put  it  to  soak 
for  a  day  in  running  water.  After  soaking  twenty-four  hours  it 
is  put  in  a  kettle  with  water  and  the  berries  and  bark,  and  some 
leaves  of  the  same  tree.  The  whole  is  boiled  for  three  or  four 
hours.  When  the  cloth  is  taken  out  it  is  of  a  light  black  or 
brown  color.  It  does  not  turn  of  the  peculiar  deep  shining  black 
till  it  is  once  more  rubbed  in  clay  and  soaked  in  running  water. 

The  Ashira  women  dress  their  hair  in  a  very  curious  way, 


464 


SINGULAR  HAIR-DRESSING. 


and  quite  differently  from  any  negroes  I  have  seen.  The  pic- 
tures here  given  make  an  explanation  unnecessary,  except  to  say 
that  the  protuberance  on  the  top  of  the  head  and  the  projecting 
horns  are  their  own  wool,  made  stiff  by  being  strung  over  such 
substances  as  plantain  leaves  or  sticks.  The  toilet  of  an  Ashira 
lady's  head  is  rather  a  complicated  affair ;  but  then  a  head  "  lasts" 
a  good  while.    The  hair  is  covered  with  palm  oil. 


ASmBA  BELLES. 

The  women  paint  their  bodies  red  with  the  dye  obtained  from 
the  bar-wood-tree.  They  are  particularly  fond  of  wearing  copper 
rods  about  their  necks,  which  makes  them  look  as  though  ready 
collared  for  the  slave-market.  Both  men  and  women  file  their 
teeth  slightly  in  the  middle,  and  it  does  not  produce  an  unpleas- 
ant impression  on  the  stranger.  Occasionally  I  saw  an  old  man 
with  teeth  filed  to  a  point,  as  is  the  savage  custom  in  many  of  the 
African  tribes.  It  gives  the  countenance  a  peculiar  look  of  fe- 
rocity which  is  not  soon  forgotten. 


MANNERS  OF  THE  ASHIRA. 


465 


Seeing  no  slaves  when  I  had  been  some  days  at  Olenda's  town, 
I  began  to  think  they  had  none.  But  I  soon  discovered  that  the 
poor  slaves,  on  hearing  of  my  arrival,  had  been  panic-struck. 
They  thought,  poor  fellows,  that  I  had  come  to  carry  them  off  to 
the  sea-shore  to  be  fattened,  and  then  carried  off  to  the  white 
man's  country  to  be  eaten,  and  that  I  myself  intended  to  eat  a 
few,  which  is  the  use  they  fancy  we  make  of  slaves.  According- 
ly, they  retreated  to  the  plantations,  where  they  hid  themselves, 
and  resolutely  refused  to  make  their  appearance ;  nor  would  any 
assurances  or  entreaties  of  mine  induce  them  to  come  forth.  The 
masters  only  laughed. 

The  women  cultivate  the  soil  among  the  Ashira,  as  among  the 
other  tribes.  They  are  quite  industrious,  and  seemed  to  me  mild- 
er mannered,  as  they  certainly  were  healthier  than  elsewhere  in 
Africa.  They  do  not  become  wives  till  they  have  arrived  fully 
at  the  age  of  puberty,  which  is  one  sufficient  reason  for  the  greatei 
beauty  of  the  little  nation,  and  for  its  intellectual  superiority,  as 
denoted  by  the  cloth  manufactures,  and  their  settled  and  provi- 
dent mode  of  life.  Polygamy,  of  course,  prevails ;  and  parents 
sometimes  sell  their  children,  which  is  not  thought  a  crime.  The 
less  I  say  about  the  morals  of  the  women,  the  better.  Let  it  suf- 
fice that  chastity  is  not  one  of  the  virtues  of  the  Ashira. 

This  whole  country  is  well  watered.  Along  every  distant 
mountain  side  rivulets  are  dancing  downward,  and  are  lost  in  the 
plain,  or  eventually  fall  into  the  Ovenga  or  Ovigui,  which  flow 
past,  the  last  emptying  into  the  Eembo  Apingi. 

Nov.  lOlh.  To-day  I  set  out  for  the  mountains  to  the  south,  the 
Ofoubou,  Andele,  and  Orere  Mountains,  among  which  the  Ofou- 
bou  Eiver  has  its  source.  I  left  my  luggage  with  King  Olenda, 
and  took  only  a  few  presents  for  the  chiefs  who  had  invited  me 
to  visit  their  towns  in  the  mountains.  Olenda  gave  me  one  of 
his  sons  as  guide,  and  told  all  his  people  to  take  great  care  of 
"the  spirit." 

After  a  march  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  a  general  direc- 
tion of  south,  we  came  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Nchondo,  one  of 
the  highest  peaks  in  the  prairie.  It  is  much  venerated  among 
the  Ashira,  who  believe  that  from  here  goats  came  to  them. 
Many  assured  me  that  their  friends  had  received  these  animals 
from  the  mountain ;  and  I  suppose  that  formerly  it  was,  in 
fact,  sometimes  the  hiding-place  of  wild  goats,  who,  issuing  forth 

Gg 


466 


AN  INSANE  NEGRO. 


from  some  unknown  recesses,  gave  rise  to  this  singular  super- 
stition. 

After  some  miles  of  skirting  the  base  and  top  of  these  hills,  we 
came  to  the  foot  of  the  cloud-capped  Mount  Andele.  Here  was 
the  village  of  Mooendo,  whose  chief,  Mandji,  came  forth  with 
great  joy  to  meet  me,  his  people  singing,  "It  is  good  that  the 
white  man  comes  to  see  our  town." 

They  brought  me  presents  of  food,  as  usual,  and  seemed  great- 
ly to  wonder  at  my  hands,  my  hair,  etc. 

In  the  country  we  crossed  to-day  I  saw  some  deserted  villages. 
Here  death  had  come,  followed  by  witchcraft;  for  the  poor  Ashira 
too  are  stricken  with  the  belief  that  death  is  a  violence,  and  must 
have  been  caused  by  the  wicked  machinations  of  sorcerers. 

Wherever  I  went  the  villages  were  remarkably  neat.  The 
houses  are  small,  but  clean.  The  lack  of  the  mpavo,  of  which 
the  houses  of  most  of  the  other  tribes  are  built,  accounts  for  their 
diminutive  size  here.  They  have  to  carry  this  unwieldy  build- 
ing material  often  many  miles,  and  on  their  backs,  as  they  have 
no  beasts  of  burden.  The  streets  were  always  scrupulously  neat, 
not  a  weed  or  a  piece  of  offal  to  be  seen. 

"While  I  was  resting  in  one  of  the  villages,  a  poor  crazy  fellow 
came  capering  and  singing  along  the  street.  I  was  so  much 
amused  at  his  antics,  and  at  the  forbearance  of  the  people  with 
him,  that  I  gave  him  an  old  torn  coat  I  had  with  me.  At  this  he 
was  hugely  delighted,  and  redoubled  his  jumps  and  songs,  while 
the  villagers  were  also  much  pleased.  The  poor  fellow  followed 
me  for  several  days,  and  tried  to  show  his  gratitude  by  dancing 
and  singing  for  my  diversion.  In  this  part  of  Africa  idiots — 
those  who  are  dull,  stupid,  senseless,  and  gloomy — are  much  dis- 
liked and  soon  got  rid  of.  Generally  they  are  sold  away  to  an- 
other tribe  as  slaves.  But  such  poor  light  fellows  as  this  was 
are  kindly  treated,  and  I  think  regarded  with  a  certain  supersti- 
tious reverence.  I  have  seen  but  three  such  in  all  my  journeys, 
but  have  seen  many  brutish  idiots.  I  may  as  well  add  here  that 
cases  of  deafness  are  very  rare.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  met 
any,  except  very  aged  people.  Among  the  Bakalai  I  found  one 
mute,  and  I  have  seen  in  another  tribe  two  hump-backs — both,  by 
the  way,  remarkably  cunning  fellows.  I  do  not  remember  a 
single  case  of  blindness  in  all  my  journeys,  not  even  among  the 
very  aged. 


THE  INTOXICATING  LIAMBA. 


467 


I  found  in  these  hill  villages  a  plant  they  call  the  liarnba,  and 
which  the  men  cultivate  with  great  care.  The  leaf  is  used  to 
smoke  in  their  clay  pipes,  and  has  powerful  exhilarant  and  nar- 
cotic effects.  From  some  leaves  which  I  brought  home,  I  have 
discovered  that  this  liamba  is  nothing  else  than  the  well-known 
Cannabis  Indica,  or  Indian  hemp,  from  which  the  far-famed  East- 
ern drug  hasheesh  is  made. 

One  day  during  my  journey  I  found  a  village  in  great  excite- 
ment. One  of  the  men  had  been  smoking  liamba  leaves,  and 
had  run  out  to  the  forest  in  an  insane  state,  and  it  was  feared  he 
would  be  eaten  by  wild  beasts.  Such  cases  are  not  uncommon 
in  the  Ashira  country.  Under  my  own  observation  afterward, 
one  liamba-smoker  became  furiously  and  permanently  insane, 
and  I  saw  many  who  were  miserably  debilitated  by  the  habit. 


Hasheesh  and  the  Cannabis  Indica  are  so  well  known  that  it  is 
not  necessary  to  say  any  thing  about  them  here.  The  plant  is  a 
native  of  Abyssinia,  and  Persia,  and  Hindostan,  and  is  not,  in  my 
opinion,  indigenous  to  this  part  of  Africa.  This  I  think,  because 
I  nowhere  heard  of  its  growing  wild,  and  because  the  Ashira  and 
Apingi,  the  only  people  I  met  who  use  it,  cultivate  it  with  con- 
siderable care.  How  it  came  hither,  or  how  they  first  came  by  a 
knowledge  of  its  qualities,  I  could  not  learn.    There  are  among 


468 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  LIAMBA. 


the  Ashira  many  confirmed  liamba-smokers,  and  the  habit  seems 
very  quickly  to  fix  itself  with  a  fatal  tenacity.  Beginners  I  have 
seen  fall  down  in  convulsions  from  the  first  few  puffs.  Prac- 
ticed smokers  are  seen  laughing,  talking,  quarreling,  and  acting 
in  all  respects  like  a  drunken  person.  Insanity  is  its  ultimate  ef- 
fect on  those  who  persist  in  its  use.  I  have  several  times  seen 
men  run  into  the  forest  under  the  influence  of  a  few  whiffs  of  li- 
amba,  perfectly  unconscious  and  raving. 

The  negroes  acknowledge  its  pernicious  effects,  but  yet  its  vo- 
taries increase ;  and  though  the  plant  is  yet  unknown  to  the  sea- 
shore tribes,  they  will  soon  fall  under  its  subjugation,  for  it  is 
making  gradual  but  sure  advances.  I  never  saw  the  leaf  on  the 
sea-shore,  but  once  saw  a  few  of  the  seeds  in  the  possession  of  a 
slave  in  a  slave-factory.  He  was  carefully  preserving  them,  in- 
tending to  plant  them  in  the  country  to  which  he  should  be  sold. 

The  negroes  choose  for  the  liamba  a  soil  humid,  rich,  and  near 
the  summit  -of  a  hill,  in  a  sunny  exposure,  where  it  shall  get  the 
greatest  amount  of  heat. 

The  soil  of  the  prairie  is  light  and  somewhat  clay-like,  but 
would  make  a  fine  agricultural  countr}-.  It  seems  specially 
adapted  for  grazing  purposes.  Nearer  the  mountains  the  soil  is 
richer,  blacker,  and  deeper ;  and  here  are  the  largest  plantations, 
even  the  people  living  in  the  centre  of  the  plain  cultivating 
farms  at  its  edge.  Villages  are  very  numerous  at  the  foot  of 
these  mountains.  ' 

On  the  12  th  I  set  out  on  my  return  to  the  plains.  I  made  an 
excursion  to  the  west,  toward  Obindji's  village,  to  hunt.  I  took 
a  number  of  Ashira  along,  who  covered  themselves  with  fetiches, 
as  usual,  and  gashed  their  hands  for  good  luck.  They  were  in 
high  spirits  because  a  fetich  had  given  indications  that  we  should 
get  much  game.  When  we  had  camped  that  evening,  and  after  a 
rain  tornado  had  passed  and  left  us  in  quiet  in  our  leafy  shelters, 
the  men  began  to  tell  stories  of  the  gorilla.  Some  of  these  were 
such  as  the  reader  has  already  met  with  in  this  volume ;  but  two 
were  told  of  quite  a  different  kind.  One  of  these  related  how  a 
gorilla  was  walking  in  the  forest,  when  suddenly  he  met  a  ngego 
or  leopard.  The  gorilla  stopped,  and  so  did  the  leopard.  The 
latter,  being  hungry,  crouched  for  a  spring  at  his  foe,  whereat  the 
gorilla  set  up  a  hideous  roar.  Undismayed  by  this,  the  leopard 
made  his  leap,  but  was  caught  in  mid-air  by  the  gorilla,  who 


GORILLA  STORIES. 


469 


seized  his  foe  by  the  tail,  and  whirled  him  round  his  head  till  the 
tail  broke  off,  and  the  animal  escaped,  leaving  his  brush  in  the 
hands  of  the  gorilla. 

The  leopard  ran  away  to  his  companions,  who,  when  they  saw 
him,  asked,  "What  is  the  matter?"  whereupon  the  unfortunate 
recounted  his  defeat.  At  this  the  chief  ngego  howled  and  howl- 
ed till  all  the  leopards  of  the  forest  came,  who,  when  they  saw 
their  brother's  injury,  vowed  vengeance,  and  set  out  to  find  the 
gorilla. 

They  had  not  long  to  hunt.  When  the  gorilla  saw  them  com- 
ing he  broke  down  a  tree,  of  which  he  made  a  club,  which  he 
swung  round  and  round  his  head,  and  kept  the  troop  of  leopards 
at  bay.  At  last,  however,  he  grew  tired,  and  then  the  leopards 
rushed  on  him  with  one  accord  and  soon  killed  him. 

Next  came  a  story  of  a  gorilla  and  an  elephant,  told  with  a 
good  deal  of  dramatic  force.  As  the  gorilla  was  walking  in  the 
forest  with  his  wife  and  baby,  they  came  suddenly  upon  a  huge 
elephant,  who  said,  "Let  me  pass,  gorilla,  for  thes.e  woods  belong 
to  me." 

"Oh!  oh!"  said  the  gorilla.  "How  do  the  woods  belong  to 
thee  ?  Am  I  not  master  here  ?  Am  I  not  the  man  of  the 
woods?    Do  I  not  roam  where  I  please ?" 

And,  ordering  his  wife  and  baby  to  go  aside,  he  broke  down  a 
large  tree,  and,  brandishing  it  like  a  club,  made  at  the  elephant, 
whom  he  soon  killed.  The  body  of  the  elephant  was  found  by  a 
man  a  few  days  afterward,  with  the  club  of  the  gorilla  lying  by 
its  side." 

This  story,  the  narrator  assured  me,  was  a  fact ;  and  I  think  he 
firmly  believed  it.  These  two  fables  seemed  to  me  to  evince 
more  imagination  than  any  I  had  heard  before,  and  I  have  given 
them  here  for  that  reason. 

The  next  morning  I  succeeded  in  bagging  a  wild  boar  and  sev- 
eral pigs.  These  animals  are  not  only  very  savage,  but  singular- 
ly active.  When  I  brought  down  the  boar,  three  others  which 
were  with  him  were  much  startled,  and,  in  their  fright,  made  a 
leap  which  must  have  measured  over  ten  yards.  I  have  seen 
them  repeatedly  leaping  across  the  Ovenga,  where,  by  my  own 
measurement,  it  was  more  than  eight  yards  across.  Once  I  saw 
one  miss  the  opposite  bank,  and  I  shot  it  in  the  water. 

This  wild  hog  is  peculiar  to  this  part  of  Africa,  and  is  a  new 


470 


AFRICAN  WILD  HOG. 


species.  I  have  called  it  Polaraochcerus  albifrons.  It  is  a  very 
remarkable-looking  animal,  reaching  a  great  size,  and  conspicu- 
ous for  a  curious  white  face,  adorned  with  several  large  warty 
protuberances  on  each  side  of  the  face,  halfway  between  the  nose 
and  eyes.  These,  and  the  singular  long  bristles  which  surround 
the  eyes  and  the  long  ears,  ending  in  a  tuft  of  coarse  hair,^ive 
the  animal  a  very  remarkable  expression.  The  color  of  the  body 
is  red. 

"We  got  no  gorillas  on  this  hunt,  but  I  killed  a  very  remark- 
able animal,  the  Cynogale  velox,  a  kind  of  otter,  and  the  only  ani- 
mal of  this  genus  known,  so  far,  I  believe,  in  Africa.  It  resem- 
bles somewhat  the  Asiatic  Cynogah  Bennetti  (Gray),  the  only  one 
of  the  genus  hitherto  described  ;  but  the  size  of  the  animal,  the 
length  and  character  of  the  tail,  and  the  habitat  indicate  a  dis- 
tinct species.  I  have  called  it  velox  because  of  the  extreme  rapid- 
ity with  which  it  darts  through  the  water  after  its  pre}r.  Of  its 
habits  I  unfortunately  could  learn  nothing.* 

On  the  12th  J  set  out  to  ascend  the  principal  peak  of  Mount 
Andele.  "We  were  two  days  about  the  ascent,  which  was  a  tedi- 
ous affair,  and  without  its  reward,  as,  when  I  reached  the  summit, 
I  found  it  enveloped  in  clouds,  and  mist,  and  forests,  and  could 
get  no  view  at  all. 

On  our  way  down,  at  sunset  of  the  third  day,  we  heard  the  call 
of  a  nshiego  mbouve  {Troglodytes  calvics).  I  immediately  caused 
my  men  to  lie  down,  and  was  just  getting  into  a  hiding-place  my- 
self, when  I  saw,  in  the  branches  of  a  tree  at  a  little  distance,  the 
curious  nest  or  shelter  of  this  ape ;  near  by,  on  another  tree,  was 
another  shelter.  We  crept  up  within  shot  of  this  nest,  and  then 
waited,  for  I  was  determined  to  see  once  more  the  precise  manner 
in  which  this  animal  goes  to  rest.  We  lay  flat  on  the  ground, 
and  covered  ourselves  with  leaves  and  brush,  scarce  daring  to 
breathe,  lest  the  approaching  animal  should  hear  us. 

From  time  to  time  I  heard  the  calls.  There  were  evidently 
two,  probably  a  male  and  female.  Just  as  the  sun  was  setting  I 
saw  an  animal  approach  the  tree.  It  ascended  by  a  hand  over 
hand  movement,  and  with  great  rapidity ;  crept  carefully  under 
the  shelter,  seated  itself  in  the  crotch  made  by  a  projecting 
bough,  its  feet  and  haunches  resting  on  this  bough ;  then  put  one 

*  For  full  description  of  this  curious  animal,  naturalists  are  referred  to  the  Proc. 
of  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  vii:,  p.  353. 


NEST  OF  THE  NSHIEGO  MBOUVE. 


arm  about  the  trunk  of  the  tree  for  security.  Thus,  I  suppose, 
they  rest  all  night ;  and  this  posture  accounts  for  some  singular 
abrasions  of  hair  on  the  side  of  the  nshiego  mbouve.  In  the  go- 
rilla, which  sleeps  on  the  earth,  with  its  back  resting  against  a 
tree-trunk,  the  hair  is  generally  worn  off  on  the  back. 

No  sooner  was  it  seated  than  it  began  again  to  utter  its  call. 
It  was  answered,  and  I  began  to  have  the  hope  that  I  should 
shoot  both  animals,  when  an  unlucky  motion  of  one  of  my  men 
roused  the  suspicions  of  the  ape  in  the  tree.  It  began  to  prepare 
for  descent,  and,  unwilling  to  risk  the  loss  of  this  one,  I  fired.  It- 
fell  to  the  ground  dead. 

It  proved  to  be  a  male,  with  the  face  and  hands  entirely  black. 

As  we  were  not  in  haste,  I  made  my  men  cut  down  the  trees 
which  contained  the  nests  of  these  apes.  I  found  them  made 
precisely  as  I  have  before  described,  and  as  I  have  always  found 
them,  of  long  branches  and  leaves  laid  one  over  the  other  very 
carefully  and  thickly,  so  as  to  make  the  structure  capable  of 
shedding  water.  The  branches  were  fastened  to  the  tree  in  the 
middle  of  the  structure  by  means  of  vines  and  creepers,  which  are 
so  abundant  in  these  forests.  The  projecting  limb  on  which  the 
ape  perched  was  about  four  feet  long. 

There  remains  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  these  nests  are  made 
by  the  animal  to  protect  it  from  the  nightly  rains.  When  the 
leaves  begin  to  dry  to  that  degree  that  the  structure  no  longer 
sheds  water,  the  owner  builds  a  new  shelter,  and  this  happens 
generally  once  in  ten  or  fifteen  days.  At  this  rate  the  nshiego 
mbouve  is  an  animal  of  no  little  industry. 

On  the  18th  I  told  Olenda,  to  whom  I  had  returned,  tfiat  I  wish- 
ed for  men  to  help  me  ascend  the  high  peak  of  Nkoumou-nabou- 
ali,  which  was  about  forty  miles  off.  He  laughed,  and  said  I 
could  not  do  it ;  I  should  starve  in  the  attempt ;  besides,  there 
was  a  mighty  spirit  living  there  which  would  prevent  us  from 
passing.  However,  I  had  set  my  heart  on  ascending  this  peak : 
and  though  it  proved  impossible  to  get  the  slaves  from  their  con- 
cealment, I  managed  to  bribe  a  sufficient  number  of  freemen  to 
be  my  guides  through  the  impenetrable  forest  which  lay  between 
the  prairie  and  the  mountain-top,  and  to  help  me  in  the  ascent. 
The  negroes  are  excellent  woodmen,  and  are  very  rarely  lost, 
even  in  a  forest  where  they  are  strangers. , 

"We  set  out  on  the  21st,  taking  with  us  food  for  several  days. 


474 


A  GORILLA  SHOT. 


and  blankets  for  myself  to  keep  me  from  suffering  from  the  cold. 
Unfortunately  for  me,  we  found  part  of  the  forest  low  and 
swampy,  and  a  dense  thorny  jungle,  in  which  I  had  lost,  by  the 
evening  of  the  22d,  not  only  my  shirt,  but  the  greater  part  of  ev- 
ery other  garment  I  wore,  besides  numerous  patches  of  skin. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d  a  tremendous  rain-storm  put  out  our 
fires  and  left  us  most  uncomfortable.  Next  morning  we  heard 
the  roar  of  a  gorilla,  which  revived  my  drooping  spirits.  After 
getting  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  biscuit — more  I  dared  not  eat,  for 
our  provisions  would  scarce  hold  out — we  set  out  to  kill  the  ape. 

We  had  not  far  to  go.  I  went  off  to  the  east  with  one  of  my 
hunters.  We  had  walked  barely  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  we 
heard  the  loud  roar  again — this  time  quite  near.  We  stood  quite 
still  for  fear  of  alarming  the  beast,  which  was  evidently  approach- 
ing us,  as  we  could  see  the  bushes  bent  toward  us.  The  fear  of 
alarming  him,  however,  proved  needless.  When  he  saw  us  he  at 
once  struck  aside  the  intervening  bushes,  rose  to  an  erect  posi- 
tion, made  a  few  steps,  stopj^ed,  and  seated  himself;  then,  beating 
his  vast  breast,  which  resounded  like  an  old  drum,  he  advanced 
straight  upon  us.  LTis  dark  eyes  flashed  with  rage,  his  features 
worked  convulsively,  and  at  every  few  paces  he  stopped,  and, 
opening  his  cavernous  mouth,  gave  vent  to  his  thunderous  roar, 
which  the  forests  gave  back  with  multiplied  echoes. 

He  was  evidently  not  a  bit  alarmed,  and  was  quite  ready  for  a 
fight.  We  stood  quite  still.  He  advanced  till  he  stood  beating 
his  breast  within  six  yards  of  us,  when  I  thought  it  time  to  put  an 
end  to  the  scene.  My  shot  hit  him  in  the  breast,  and  he  fell  for- 
ward on  fiis  face  dead.  They  die  very  easily,  and  have  none  of 
that  tenacity  of  life  which  the  most  savage  animals  have.  In 
this  they  also  resemble  man.  It  proved  to  be  a  middle-aged 
male,  a  fine  specimen. 

■  By  the  evening  of  the  24th  we  had  ascended  I  could  not  tell 
how  far  up  the  mountain-side,  but  I  fear  not  very  far.  The 
woods  were  still  dense.  Every  step  was  attended  with  difficul- 
ties. The  negroes  were  suffering  from  hunger,  and  we  had  but 
one  day's  provisions  left.  My  poor  rags  could  no  longer  be  kept 
together,  and  at  every  advance  my  bleeding  body  bore  witness  to 
the  difficulties  of  a  farther  ascent ;  so  I  determined  not  to  risk 
certain  death  by  starvation,  but  rather  to  return. 

I  sent  men  up  the  highest  trees  I  could  find,  to  see  if  they  could 


STAEVATION  AND  SUFFERING. 


475 


obtain  a  view  which  would  make  out  our  position.  But  they 
could  see  only  an  interminable  forest,  whose  general  outline  was 
so  far  hidden  from  them  that  it  was  impossible  even  to  say  that 
we  were  near  or  far  from  the  plain,  or  how  high  or  low  we  were. 

So,  on  the  25th,  we  set  out  on  our  way  back,  praying  only  that 
we  might  not  starve  by  the  way.  Fortunately,  one  of  the  men 
discovered  a  bee's  nest  in  a  tree,  and  we  ate  up  their  wormy  store 
of  honey,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  shot  a  leopard,  which  lay  in  a 
tree  just  ahead  of  us  as  we  were  passing  along,  and  I  dare  say 
hoped  to  make  his  dinner  off  one  of  our  party.  It  was  a  splen- 
did beast,  and  very  large.  We  had  it  cut  to  pieces  in  short  or- 
der, and  had  a  satisfactory  supper  from  leopard-steak. 

But  there  was  only  a  bite  apiece  for  the  party,  and  we  half 
famished.  The  next  morning  we  rose  weak  and  depressed.  I 
could  scarce  stand.  "We  picked  a  few  berries  for  breakfast,  and 
again  made  for  the  plain.  I  took  a  last  mouthful  of  brandy,  and, 
to  encourage  the  men,  walked  in  advance,  and  assumed  a  degree 
of  high  spirits  which  I  did  not  in  reality  possess. 

27th.  This  morning  I  could  only  with  great  difficulty  rise  from 
my  poor  bed  of  leaves.  "We  set  forward  without  breakfast.  I 
dared  not  send  the  men  into  the  forest  for  berries,  for  every  hour 
was  precious,  and  they  might  not  find  any  after  all.  So  we  walk- 
ed on  with  empty  stomachs,  praying  for  a  sight  of  the  plain. 

On,  and  on,  and  on,  through  the  gloomy  jungle,  no  man  say- 
ing a  word  to  the  other,  and  every  man  looking  anxiously  for  the 
first  sign  of  the  prairie-land,  which  now  seemed  a  very  fairy -land 
to  me. 

At  last,  in  the  afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  a  sudden  lighting 
up  of  the  forest's  gloom  gave  us  hope,  and  after  another  hour's 
anxious  marching  the  wide  plain  lay  before  us.  With  a  sudden 
renewal  of  strength  and  hope,  we  set  off  on  a  run,  nor  stopped  till 
we  had  reached  a  village  at  the  very  bounds  of  the  bush.  Here 
the  people  were  at  first  very  much  alarmed  at  our  appearance 
and  our  frantic  actions.  Food,  food,  food,  was  'all  any  of  us 
could  cry  out.  When  they  discovered  that  we  did  not  mean 
mischief,  they  approached,  and,  learning  our  necessities,  made 
haste  to  supply  us  with  all  manner  of  food  in  their  possession. 
One  came  with  yams,  another  with  plantains,  others  with  little 
baskets  of  cassada ;  and  all  expressed  sorrow  that  they  had  noth- 
ing better  to  offer.    The  chief  killed  a  goat  for  me,  which  we  ate 


476 


RETURN  TO  THE  PRAIRIE. 


up  as  fast  as  it  could  be  cooked.  I  feared  I  should  be  sick  from 
putting  too  large  a  share  on  my  so  long  emjoty  stomach ;  but,  hap- 
pily, the  goat  did  not  disagree  with  any  of  us.  Probably  there 
was  not  enough  of  it. 

The  next  day  we  returned  to  Olenda's  town,  and  were  received 
with  all  the  honors  due  to  such  a  starvation  adventure.  Makon- 
dai  came  with  tears  of  joy  in  his  eyes  to  welcome  me  back.  He 
told  me  that  in  my  absence  a  boy  had  been  accused  of  witchcraft, 
and  was  to  be  killed  the  next  day.  I  went  to  the  king,  and  told 
him  nobody  must  be  murdered  on  such  nonsensical  account 
while  I  was  there,  for  I  should  leave  instantly,  and  never  come 
back.  So,  after  some  hesitation,  they  gave  the  boy  to  me,  and  he 
is  to-night  safe  in  my  house. 


ASH  IRA  llOCSEiCEEI'EB. 

The  weather  has  been  very  hot  lately,  and,  as  my  hair  was  too 
long  for  comfort,  I  told  Makondai  one  day  to  cut  it  for  me,  giv- 
ing him  a  pair  of  scissors  I  had  in  my  kit.  He  did  not  do  it  very 
artistically,  but,  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  one  comes  to  care  little 
for  looks  or  fashions.  "When  he  was  done,  he  gathered  the  cut 
hair  up  and  threw  it  out  into  the  street.    I  was  not  attending  to 


ASHIRA  HOUSEKEEPER. 


477 


what  he  was  doing,  and  was  surprised  presently  at  a  noise  of 
scuffling  and  fighting  in  front  of  my  house. 

I  looked  out,  and  beheld  a  most  laughable  scene.  The  men 
were  busily  picking  up  the  scattered  hairs,  and  those  who  could 
not  get  at  them  were  disputing  possession  with  their  luckier 
neighbors.  Even  the  old  king,  Olcnda,  was  in  the.  midst,  eager 
for  a  share.  As  each  got  what  he  could,  he  wrould  tie  them  up 
carefully  in  the  corner  of  his  ndengui,  and  walk  off  very  content- 
edly. 

I  called  Olenda  and  asked  what  was  the  use  of  this  hair.  He 
replied,  "Oh,  spirit!  these  hairs  are  very  precious;  we  shall  make 
inondas  (fetiches)  of  them,  and  they  will  bring  other  white  men 
to  us,  and  bring  us  great  good  luck  and  riches.  Since  you  have 
come  to  us,  oh  spirit !  we  have  wished  to  have  some  of  your  hair, 
but  did  not  dare  to  ask  for  it,  not  knowing  that  it  could  be  cut." 
I  was  happy  that  it  had  not  occurred  to  them  to  appropriate  vio- 
lently my  whole  head,  hair  and  all,  and  was  glad  enough  to  let 
the  old  king  walk  off  with  his  precious  lock  of  a  white  man's  hair. 

On  going  one  day  into  the  house  of  an  Ashira  chief  I  saw  an 
idol,  which,  after  much  urging  and  for  good  pay,  he  sold  me.  Its 
likeness  is  given  on  the  preceding  page.  Its  office  is  to  watch 
over  the  property  of  its  owner,  and  keep  thieves  out  of  the  house ; 
and  I  was  assured  that  no  one  could,  and,  what  is  better,  no  one 
did  steal  while  this  "  housekeeper"  was  cared  for,  and  kept  in  the 
house. 


478 


BLACK  MAIL. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Ashira  grow  jealous  of  my  Projects. — Set  out  for  the  Apingi  Country. — Olenda 
blesses  us. — The  Passage  of  the  Ovigui. — Rude  Bridge. — Features  of  the  Coun- 
try.— "We  meet  Gorillas. — The  Roar  of  the  Gorilla. — His  Walk. — Great  Strength. 
— Meet  the  Apingi  King. — I  fall  into  an  Elephant-hole. — Famine. — Musquitoes. 
— We  see  the  Rembo  Apingi  River. — Reception  among  the  Apingi. — Address  of 
the  King. — I  am  offered  a  Slave  for  my  Supper. — Wonder  of  the  People  at  my 
Appearance. — The  mysterious  Sapadi,  a  cloven-footed  Race. — My  Clock  is  thought 
a  guardian  Spirit. — I  am  asked  to  make  a  Mountain  of  Beads  and  Trade-goods. 
— Fruitfulness  of  the  Women. — Appearance  of  the  People. — A  Leopard-trap. — 
Invested  with  the  Kendo. — Palm-oil.  —  Palm-wine. —  Drunkenness  universal. — 
Tattooing. — Dress  of  the  Women. — Lack  of  Modesty. — I  am  claimed  as  a  Hus- 
band. —  Wearing  of  Grass-cloth.  —  Property  among  the  Apingi.  —  The  Apingi 
Loom. — The  Ndengui. — Fetich  to  kill  Leopards. — War  Belt. 

My  determination  to  go  farther  into  the  interior  has  aroused 
the  jealousy  of  the  Ashiras.  All  the  chiefs  came  in  to  Olenda 
and  expressed  their  disapproval  of  my  project.  They  do  not  wish 
their  trade  interfered  with,  and  are  fearful,  if  a  white  man  once 
reaches  the  far  East  beyond  them,  those  people  will  not  be  con- 
tent to  trade  with  the  Ashira  longer.  I  stated  my  objects,  and 
that  I  did  not  go  as  trader,  but  as  traveler,  and  to  collect  new  an- 
imals. At  last  Olenda  said,  "  This  white  man  must  go  where  he 
wishes.  He  has  been  sent  to  me  by  my  friend  Quengueza.  He 
must  do  what  he  pleases." 

Then  the  rascally  chiefs  asked  me  what  I  would  give  them  as 
presents  if  I  was  permitted  to  go.  To  this  I  put  on  a  show  of 
anger,  and  asked  if  I  was  not  their  guest,  their  stranger,  and 
why  they  were  so  mean  as  to  beg  me  for  my  goods  ?  They  seem- 
ed much  ashamed.  Of  course,  I  gave  them  some  trifles  afterward 
for  good-will. 

There  was  a  show  of  reason  for  their  fears.  Among  my  train 
were  several  men  from  Goumbi,  slaves  of  influential  men  of  that 
town,  who  had  been  sent  with  me  with  trade  articles,  such  as  the 
Ashira  most  want,  in  order  to  bring  back  to  Goumbi  ivory  and 
the  bongo  cloth  (grass-cloth),  which  is  the  staple  export  of  the 
Ashiras.  Of  course  it  was  feared  that  not  onlv  I,  but  also  these 
fellows,  would  confuse  and  break  up  the  Ashira  monopoly  of  trade 


KING  OLENDA'S  BLESSING. 


481 


with  the  farther  interior.  It  is  curious  to  see  how  greatly  slaves 
are  trusted  in  this  country.  The  owners  of  these  fellows  had  no 
security  for  their  return,  nor  for  the  goods  they  intrusted  to  them, 
for  I,  of  course,  would  not  become  responsible  for  them.  But  they 
were  sure  to  return.  They,  who  were  originally  themselves  from 
an  interior  tribe,  have  come  to  feel  greatly  attached  to  Goumbi, 
and  look  down  with  contempt  on  the  Ashira,  whom  they  call 
"  men  of  the  woods." 

Dec.  teli.  Food  has  been  collected  and  cooked  for  my  trip.  I 
am  to  give  the  Ashira  men  six  fathoms  of  cloth  each  to  go  with 
me  to  the  Apingi  country  and  wait  for  me  there.  Olenda  gave 
me  three  of  his  sons  to  take  along,  Minsho,  Iguy,  and  Aiaguy, 
the  latter  a  very  common  name  here. 

It  rains  nearly  every  day,  and  every  few  days  we  have  tre- 
mendous storms  of  wind  and  rain.  All  the  rivers  are  swollen, 
and  the  prairie  looks  very  green  and  beautiful. 

We  set  out  on  Dec.  6th.  Early  in  the  morning  Olenda  called 
us  around  him,  and  after  telling  his  sons  to  take  good  care  of 
me,  the  venerable  old  fellow  proceeded  formally  to  bless  us,  wish- 
ing uagood  success.  It  was  a  touching  scene.  At  the  close  he 
took  a  sugar-cane,  bit  a  piece  of  the  pith,  and  spat  a  little  of  the 
juice  in  the  hand  of  each  one  of  the  party,  at  the  same  time  blow- 
ing on  the  hand.  Then  he  said  solemnly,  "Let  all  have  good 
speed  with  you,  and  let  it  be  as  smooth  (pleasant)  as  the  breath 
I  blow  on  your  hand."  Then  Minsho  received  the  cane,  which 
he  is  to  bring  back. 

I  found  that  the  prairie  was  much  more  swampy  to  the  east- 
ward, toward  the  foot  of  the  hills,  than  I  had  supposed.  We  had 
to  walk  through  much  mud,  and  often  to  wade  through  consider- 
able pools  and  swamps  of  standing  water,  produced  by  the  con- 
stant heavy  rains.  In  one  of  these  swamps  we  had  to  wade  up 
to  our  middles  in  muddy  water,  and  some  of  the  party  slipped 
down  on  the  roots  with  which  the  bottom  is  covered. 

The  forest  beyond  the  line  of  the  prairie  is  also  inhabited.  We 
passed  over  a  dozen  villages,  the  people  of  which  flocked  out  to 
see  the  "  white  spirit."    They  were  all  Ashira. 

Toward  noon  we  approached  the  Ovigui  River,  a  mountain 
torrent,  which  was  to  be  crossed  by  a  rude  and  very  dangerous 
bridge.  This  bridge  I  had  dreaded  all  day,  and  when  at  last  I 
saw  it  I  was  by  no  means  reassured.   The  stream  was  about  thir- 

H  H 


482 


DANGEROUS  BRIDGE. 


ty  yards  wide,  and  rushed  through  the  forest,  overflowing  its 
banks.  The  waters  were  very  swift,  and  I  saw  that  even  a  good 
swimmer  would  be  helpless  here,  and  would  soon  be  dashed  to 
pieces  against  the  fallen  trees  which  jutted  out  in  every  direction. 
Now  I  swim  but  very  little. 

The  bridge  was  a  complicated,  shaky  structure,  of  which  the 
engraving  will  give  the  reader  some  idea. 


RCDE  BRIDGE  OYEE  THE  OT1GUL 

It  appears  that  the  Ovigui  had  its  bed,  till  some  years  ago,  not 
here,  but  some  hundreds  of  yards  on  the  other  side.  This  is  a 
trick  that  some  of  the  mountain  streams  of  Africa  have.  Now  in 
the  new  bed  stood  certain  trees  which  native  ingenuity  saw  could 
be  used  as  the  piers  for  a  bridge.  In  this  place  two  trees,  stand- 
ing each  about  seven  or  eight  yards  from  one  side,  were  chosen. 


AN  UNPLEASANT  ADVENTURE. 


483 


Other  trees  opposite  on  the  banks  were  so  cut  as  to  fall  into  these. 
Thus  were  formed  two  portions  of  the  bridge,  and  these,  though 
sufficiently  rude,  were  not  seriously  bad  for  a  traveler.  It  now 
remained  to  unite  the  still  open  space  in  the  centre,  between  the 
two  "piers,"  and  here  came  the  tug.  Unable  to  transport  heayy 
pieces  of  timber,  they  had  thrown  across  this  chasm  a  long,  slen- 
der, bending  limb,  which  sagged  down  in  the  middle  until,  when 
it  bore  a  man's  weight,  its  centre  was  three  feet  below  the  surface 
of  the  rushing  tide.  Of  course  no  one  could  walk  on  this  with- 
out assistance,  so  a  couple  of  strong  vines  had  been  strung  across 
for  balustrades ;  but  as  these  vines  had  necessarily  to  be  so  slack 
as  to  be  parallel  with  the  bamboo,  they  were  of  the  very  slight- 
est assistance. 

My  heart  failed  me  as  I  stood  looking  at  this  break-neck  con- 
cern. To  add  to  the  pleasurable  excitement  of  the  scene,  Minsho 
told  me  that  this  was  a  much  better  crossing  than  some  others 
they  had  lower  down,  but  admitted .  that  even  here  some  half 
dozen  of  their  people  had  been  drowned  within  a  year. 

I  watched  the  party  crossing  with  great  interest.  One  man 
slipped  when  midway,  but  luckily  recovered  himself.  He  drop- 
ped only  a  box  of  mine  containing  two  pairs  of  shoes.  Another, 
who  was  carrying  a  gun,  came  so  near  falling  as  to  drop  that, 
which  was  also  swept  off  and  lost.  Meantime  I  wondered  if  1 
should  follow  in  the  wake  of  my  shoes  and  gun. 

At  last  all  were  across  but  Minsho.  I  had  stripped  to  my 
shirt  and  trowsers,  and  set  out  on  my  trial,  followed  by  Minsho. 
who  had  a  vague  idea  that  if  I  slipped  he  might  catch  me.  It 
was  an  unpleasant  suspense  in  every  way ;  and  as  I  crossed  the 
centre  part,  and  felt  the  current  beating  against  my  legs  and  al- 
most seeming  to  have  a  hold  on  me,  with  purpose  to  drag  me 
away,  I  vowed  I  would  never  try  such  navigation  again.  How- 
ever, I  managed  to  hold  on  to  the  vine  and  drag  myself  up,  very 
weak  and  pale  with  excitement,  but  outwardly  necessarily  calm, 
as  it  would  not  do  to  let  these  natives  see  a  white  man  make  a 
difficulty  of  any  thing  they  could  do. 

Again  we  plunged  into  the  primeval  forests  of  ebony,  bar- 
wood,  India-rubber  vines,  and  other  strange  woods.  After  about 
two  miles  of  travel  we  came  to  a  curious  little  strip  of  prairie, 
which  was  five  or  six  miles  long,  but  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
wide.  This  they  called  Odjiola,  but  they  could  not  tell  me  its 
origin.    It  was  not  inhabited. 


484  ROAR  OF  THE  GORILLA. 

A  few  miles  farther  on  the  path  led  over  a  curious  steep  mount 
called  Mount  Ococoo.  We  had  to  climb  the  almost  perpendic- 
ular sides,  and  I  had  to  grasp  branches  or  vines  as  I  ascended  the 
face  of  this  high  hill.  Having  surmounted  that  and  three  others, 
with  intervening  plains  and  valleys,  all  covered  with  dense  forests, 
we  at  last  found  ourselves  on  the  banks  of  another  little  purling 
mountain  brook  which  skirted  the  base  of  our  last  hill,  the  Alou- 
my.  Here  we  lit  fires,  built  shelters,  and  camped  for  the  night. 
This  day  we  made  but  twenty  miles,  fifteen  of  which  were  due  east. 

Dec.  7th.  As  we  advance  the  country  becomes  more  rugged 
and  mountainous.  On  every  side  brooks,  and  rills,  and  small 
streams  are  wending  their  way  down  to  the  Ovigui,  or  toward 
the  Apingi  river,  and  very  frequently  we  have  to  march  along 
the  bed  of  a  purling  brook,  the  only  way  which  the  broken  and 
rocky  country  leaves  us.  This  day  was  exceedingly  trying  for 
our  feet.  We  picked  our  way  through  a  forest  dense  and  gloomy, 
every  step  obstructed  by  rocks  and  broken  ground.  This  is 
evidently  the  favorite  haunt  of  gorilla.  Several  times  during 
the  day  we  heard  his  roar  in  the  distance.  We  heard  also  the 
cry  of  a  nshiego  mbouve  at  a  little  distance,  and  started  in  pur- 
suit, but  the  animal  made  its  escape,  having  probably  heard  us. 
At  the  foot  of  a  tree  we  found  some  leafy  branches  gathered, 
while  in  another  tree  was  a  shelter  completed.  No  doubt  a  pah- 
had  been  at  work  together.  The  negroes  here  told  me  also  that 
these  apes  work  in  pairs,  both  collecting  branches,  and  the  male 
building  the  shelter  when  the  material  is  brought  together,  while 
the  female  carries  it  up  to  him. 

Judging  from  his  cry,  one  of  the  gorillas  we  heard  in  the  after- 
noon seemed  to  be  so  near  that  I  was  tempted  to  hunt  him  up. 
He  proved  farther  off  than  any  of  us  thought.  We  wandered 
nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour  through  the  forest  before  we 
reached  him.  His  almost  incessant  roars,  which  seemed  to  de- 
note that  he  was  enraged  at  something,  gave  us  a  good  clew  to  his 
whereabouts. 

I  find  that  I  do  not  get  accustomed  to  the  roar  of  the  gorilla. 
As  many  as  I  have  hunted  and  shot,  it  is  still  an  awful  sound  to 
me.  The  long  reverberations,  like  the  muttering  of  distant  thun- 
der ;  the  vindictive  bark  with  which  each  roar  is  begun ;  the  hol- 
low monotone  of  the  first  explosion,  all  are  awe-inspiring,  and 
proclaim  this  beast  the  monarch  of  these  forests. 


ACTIONS  OF  THE  GOEILLA. 


487 


When  the  animal  became  aware  of  our  approach  he  at  once 
came  toward  us,  uttering  a  succession  of  the  short  bark-like  yells 
which  denote  his  rage,  and  which  have  a  peculiarly  horrible 
effect.  They  remind  one  only  of  the  inarticulate  ravings  of  a 
maniac. 

Balancing  his  huge  heavy  body  with  his  arms,  the  animal  came 
toward  us,  every  few  moments  stopping  to  beat  his  breast,  and 
throwing  his  head  back  to  utter  his  tremendous  roar.  His  fierce 
gloomy  eyes  glared  upon  us ;  the  short  hair  Was  rapidly  agitated, 
and  the  wrinkled  face  seemed  contorted  with  rage.  It  was  like  a 
very  devil,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at  the  superstitious  terror  with 
which  the  natives  regard  it.  , 

His  manner  of  approach  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  see  with 
how  much  difficulty  he  supports  himself  in  the  erect  posture. 
His  short  and  slender  legs  are  not  able  firmly  to  sustain  the  vast 
body.  They  totter  beneath  the  weight,  and  the  walk  is  a  sort  of 
waddle,  in  which  the  long  arms  are  used,  in  a  clumsy  way,  to  bal- 
ance the  body  and  keep  up  the  ill-sustained  equilibrium.  Twice 
he  sat  down  to  roar,  evidently  not  trusting  himself  to  this  exer- 
tion while  standing. 

My  gun  was  fresh  loaded,  and  could  be  depended  upon,  so  I 
stood  in  advance.  I  waited,  as  the  negro  rule  is,  till  the  huge 
beast  was  within  six  yards  of  me ;  then,  as  he  once  more  stopped 
to  roar,  delivered  my  fire,  and  brought  him  down  on  his  face 
dead. 

It  proved  to  be  a  male,  full  grown,  but  young.  His  huge  ca- 
nine tusks,  his  claw-like  hands,  the  immense  development  of  mus- 
cle on  his  arms  and  breast,  his  whole  appearance,  in  fact,  proclaim- 
ed a  giant  strength.  There  is  enough  likeness  to  humanity  in 
this  beast  to  make  a  dead  one  an  awful  sight,  even  to  accustomed 
eyes,  as  mine  were  by  this  time.  I  never  quite  felt  that  matter-of- 
course  indifference,  or  that  sensation  of  triumph  which  the  hunt- 
er has  when  a  good  shot  has  brought  him  a  head  of  his  choice 
game.  It  was  as  though  I  had  killed  some  monstrous  creation, 
which  yet  had  something  of  humanity  in  it.  Well  as  I  knew 
that  this  was  an  error,  I  could  not  help  the  feeling. 

This  animal  was  five  feet  eight  inches  high.  In  the  evening, 
Minsho  brought  in  a  young  female  he  had  shot,  which  measured 
three  feet  eight  inches. 

As  we  advanced,  the  scenery  became  even  more  grand  and  pic- 


488 


FEATURES  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


turesque.  We  were  already  on  a  high  plain  or  table-land,  but 
our  route  led  us  continually  to  higher  levels  by  regular  grada- 
tions of  ascent.  Some  of  the  hills  we  had  to  surmount  were  from 
two  to  three  thousand  feet  high.  The  higher  we  got,  the  vaster 
became  the  piles  and  boulders  of  quartz  and  granite,  which  seem 
to  have  been  scattered  over  the  face  of  all  this  country  by  some 
vast  convulsion  of  nature  ages  ago. 

The  scenery  was  already  Alpine.  It  lacked  only  the  snow- 
capped peaks,  of  which  I  have  not  yet  met  any.  This  country  is 
very  abundantly  watered,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  met  some  con- 
siderable streams.  One  of  these  we  traced  upward  for  several 
miles,  as  it  ran  along  the  foot  of  some  huge  hills  which  we  had 
to  ascend  one  after  another.  The  two  highest  peaks  of  this  range 
were  called  the  Kayambie  and  the  Boundou.  "Where  we  crossed 
the  stream  finally  it  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
wide.    It  is  called  the  Louvandji. 

Passing  this,  we  came  at  sunset  to  a  bando — a  traveler  s  house 
— a  rude  shelter  left  by  former  caravans  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill 
called  Koungou. 

The  bando  was  occupied  by  a  party  of  Apingi,  who,  when  they 
saw  me,  instantly  ran  off,  very  much  scared.  It  was  only  after 
many  persuasions  that  they  could  be  brought  back.  Presently  a 
tremendous  tornado  came  up,  followed  by  rain,  which  made  us 
glad  we  had  reached  shelter.  Such  storms  frequently  do  great 
damage  to  the  woods,  and  are  very  dangerous  to  travelers,  as  trees 
are  uprooted,  and  branches  fall  on  every  side. 

The  bando  here  was  roofed  with  peculiar  and  very  large  leaves 
from  two  trees,  which  are  called  here  the  shayshayray  and  the 
quaygayray. 

This  day  we  traveled  about  twenty-five  miles  in  a  general  di- 
rection of  east. 

Dec.  8th.  This  day  the  country  was  less  wild,  and  but  very  little 
hilly.  We  saw  in  the  distance  about  midday  some  Bakalai  vil- 
lages, situated  on  a  little  prairie,  but  my  people  were  afraid  to 
approach  them.  No  persuasions  of  mine  would  induce  them  to 
go  near.  They  were  afraid,  Minsho  said,  of  trouble  with  the  Ba- 
kalai, who  are  here  a  warlike  people,  and  we  encamped  on  the 
border  of  the  prairie. 

Dec.  92/i.^Last  night,  fortunately  for  me,  it  was  clear  and  bright 
starlight.   About  midnight  our  camp  was  awakened  by  a  tremen- 


SERPENTS. 


489 


dous  roaring,  and,  jumping  up,  I  saw  in  the  plain  before  me  a 
grand  and  exciting  scene.  A  wild  buffalo  had  been  wandering 
in  the  woods,  and  a  leopard  had  leaped  upon  him.  The  poor  an- 
imal rushed,  with  roar  after  roar  of  agony  and  fright,  into  and 
across  the  plain,  vainly  plunging  and  striving  to  loose  the  claws 
of  his  enemy,  who  sat  upon  his  hump,  and  was,  as  we  could  see, 
sucking  the  blood  from  his  neck.  The  poor  beast  doubtless  fell 
a  victim  to  the  leopard,  whose  attack  is  generally  fatal.  It  was  a 
splendid  sight,  though  it  lasted  but  for  a  few  minutes.  This  is 
the  second  scene  of  this  kind  which  I  have  been  favdred  with. 

This  day,  and  also  the  next  (10th),  we  journeyed  along  to  the 
eastward,  hurried  by  a  lack  of  food.  As  usual  in  Africa,  all  the 
provisions  we  could  carry  could  not  be  made  to  last  above  three 
days. 

As  we  were  walking  along  through  some  grass,  I  came  sudden- 
ly upon  a  large  specimen  of  the  most  poisonous  serpent  possessed 
by  this  part  of  Africa :  the  Echidna  nasicomis.  This  and  a  spe- 
cies of  naja  are  much  dreaded  by  the  negr  ™s.  I  saw  it,  fortunate- 
ly, when  a  few  feet  from  it,  and,  as  it  is  a  sluggish  beast  and  slow 
of  movement,  I  had  time  to  fire  and  kill  it  before  it  could  make 
a  spring.  Fortunately,  I  did  not  destroy  the  head,  and  had  there- 
fore an  opportunity  to  examine  its  really  enormous  poison  fangs, 
which  lay  imbedded  in  the  sheaths  on  each  side  of  the  mouth. 

The  habits  of  this  serpent  make  it  dangerous  to  the  incautious 
traveler.  It  does  not  climb  trees,  as  do  most  African  serpents, 
but  lies  in  the  grass,  or  in  little  open  spaces  in  the  woods,  in  a 
state  of  semi-torpidity.  It  leaps  with  a  quick  motion  when  ex- 
cited, and  is  not  easily  scared  by  approaching  noises.  It  is  short 
—  few,  I  should  say,  reach  even  four  feet  in  length  —  but  very 
stout,  some  specimens  I  killed  being  six  and  eight  inches  in  their 
greatest  diameter.  It  is  splendidly  marked,  and  on  each  side  of 
the  flat,  large  muzzle  it  has  three  horny  projections ;  the  poste- 
rior one  is  situated  over  the  nostril,  and  is  the  largest.  The  head 
is  triangular,  the  nostrils  very  large,  the  tail  short  and  pointed. 
The  natives  say  that  its  bite  causes  sure,  and  almost  instant  and 
painful  death.    They  hold  it  in  great  fear. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  10th,  as  we  were  passing  through  a 
dense  wood,  we  heard  people  talking  not  far  from  us,  and  pres- 
ently we  stood'before  Remandji,  the  king  of  the  Apingi  tribe. 
He  was  a  fine-looking  old  negro.   At  sight  of  me  he  and  his  com- 


490 


MEETING  KING  REMANDJT. 


pany  stood  silent,  and  amazed  for  a  few  minutes,  looking  at  us. 
Then  the  king  began  on  a  sudden  to  dance  about  in  a  most  un- 
royal and  crazy  manner,  shouting  again  and  again,  "  The  spirit 
has  come  to  see  me !  the  spirit  has  come  to  see  my  country ! 

When  he  was  a  little  pacified  he  told  us  he  came  to  fish,  and 
must  now  go  for  his  wives,  whom  he  had  sent  on  before,  and  who 
had  food.  "We  were  directed  to  go  on  to  a  bando  not  far  off, 
whither  he  would  return  for  the  night,  as  his  town  was  too  far  off. 

We  went  on,  hoping  that  the  women  would  have  food  for  us. 
Meantime  night  came  on ;  it  grew  darker  and  darker ;  and  as  we 
did  not  yet  reach  our  rendezvous,  and  I  was  half  famished,  I  push- 
ed ahead,  to  try  if  I  could  not  kill  a  stray  deer  for  supper.  Pres- 
ently I  thought  I  perceived  an  animal  a  little  off  the  path,  and, 
stepping  toward  it,  suddenly  pitched  headforemost  into  an  ele- 
phant-trap, a  hole  about  eight  feet  long  by  six  feet  wide  and  ten 
deep,  a  wretched  place,  where  I  lay  helpless,  momentarily  ex- 
pecting to  see  some  huge  serpent  fall  oh  top  of  me.  I  cried  out 
lustily,  and  fortunately  was  heard  by  my  people  and  dragged  out 
with  a  grape-vine,  which  they  cut  and  let  down  to  me. 

In  these  holes  the  Apingi  catch  their  elejmants.  I  saw  many 
of  them  afterward.  They  are  ingeniously  covered  with  brush 
and  leaves,  but  are  evident  enough  to  a  man  who  has  once  seen 
or  fallen  into  one. 

Finally  we  reached  the  olako,  and  when  Eemandji  came  he 
had  but  a  few  fish  to  eat,  therefore  we  poor  half-famished  fellows 
had  to  go  to  sleep  supperless.  All  night  we  endured  torments 
indescribable  from  musquitoes,  which  must  be  of  a  new  kind,  for 
their  sting  was  like  that  of  a  bee.  In  the  morning  our  bodies 
were  swollen  as  though  we  had  been  beaten  all  over.  Smoke  and 
fire  seemed  to  have  no  effect  upon  them.  I  never  suffered  such 
torture  in  my  life. 

The  next  morning  we  started  off  again,  and,  after  a  three  hours' 
march,  came  at  last,  by  a  sudden  opening  of  the  forest,  upon  a 
magnificent  stream,  the  Eembo  Apingi.  It  was  much  larger  than 
I  had  been  led  to  expect — about  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
wide,  and  evidently  a  considerable  body  of  water.  As  I  stood, 
in  amazement  and  delight,  looking  down  upon  the  beautiful 
stream,  whose  waters  were  gliding  down  toward  the  great  sea,  a 
tremendous  cheer  from  a  crowd  which  had  quickly  collected 
about  me  announced  to  the  people  on  the  other  side,  where  the 


I  AM  THOUGHT  A  CANNIBAL. 


491 


villages  were,  that  "  the  white  man"  had  come.  The  cheer  was 
responded  to  by  gathering  crowds  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  pres- 
ently some  exceedingly  frail,  narrow  canoes  and  several  rafts  were 
pushed  across  to  ferry  us  over.  The  Apingi  have  villages  only 
on  the  farther  bank  of  the  river. 

I  got  into  a  canoe,  which  was  managed  by  the  Apingi  boatmen 
with  much  skill.  The  Ashira  know  nothing  of  boating.  The 
rafts  were  composed  of  several  logs  tied  together.  Their  motion 
was  very  slow. 

The  shouting  continued  until  I  was  safely  housed  in  the  largest 
house  in  the  town.  This  was  a  little  hut,  with,  fortunately,  a  pi- 
azza in  front ;  for,  when  I  had  secured  my  goods  inside,  there  was 
scarce  room  for  me  to  turn. 

Presently  Eemandji  came  to  me;  followed  by  all  the  old  men 
of  his  town  and  the  chiefs  from  neighboring  villages.  He  brought 
me  two  dozen  fowls,  and  some  bunches  of  plantains,  and  baskets 
of  cassava,  which  being  laid  at  my  feet,  he  addressed  me,  saying, 
''I  have  beheld  what  our  forefathers  never  saw,  what  I  never  saw 
before.  I  bid  welcome  to  thee,  oh  white  man !  oh  spirit !  I  thank 
your  father,"  turning  to  Minsho,  "  for  sending  this  spirit  to  me, 
for  nothing  greater  could  happen  to  us." 

Then  he  said,  "Be  glad,  oh  spirit!  and  eat  of  the  things  we 
give  thee." 

Whereupon,  to  my  astonishment,  a  slave  was  handed  over  to 
me  bound,  and  Eemandji  said,  "Kill  him  for  your  evening  meal; 
he  is  tender  and  fat,  and  you  must  be  hungry."  It  took  me  a 
moment  to  recover  from  my  astonishment.  Then  I  shook  my 
head,  spat  violently  on  the  ground,  and  made  Minsho  tell  them 
that  I  abhorred  the  people  who  ate  human  flesh,  and  that  I  and 
my  people  never  did  so. 

To  which  Eemandji  replied,  "  "We  always  heard  that  you  white 
men  eat  men.  Why  do  you  buy  of  our  people  ?  Why  do  you 
come  from  nobody  knows  where,  and  carry  off  our  men,  and 
women,  and  children  ?  Do  you  not  fatten  them  in  your  far  coun- 
try and  eat  them?  Therefore  I  gave  you  this  slave,  that  you 
might  kill  him,  and  make  glad  your  heart." 

It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  explain  to  the  king  that  he  was 
much  mistaken,  and  that  we  do  not  eat  our  slaves.  The  whole 
matter,  from  his  point  of  view,  was  absurd.  "If  we  did  not  eat 
them,  what  did  we  want  them  for?"  was  his  incessant  question; 


492 


THE  CLOVEN-FOOTED  SAPADI. 


nor  could  his  majesty  be,  by  any  skill  of  mine,  inducted  into  the 
mysteries  of  our  labor  system,  and  of  its  rules  of  demand  and 
supply. 

When  at  last  my  meal  was  cooked  and  served  for  me,  Eemand- 
ji  came  in  to  taste  of  what  was  provided,  and  to  drink  of  the  wa- 
ter that  was  set  for  me.  This  is  a  custom  observed  in  every  tribe 
I  have  visited,  and  is  to  show  the  guest  that  he  runs  no  risk  of 
being  poisoned.  Even  the  wives  taste  of  the  food  they  set  before 
their  husbands,  they  not  being  permitted  to  eat  with  the  gentle- 
men of  the  house. 

I  may  add  here  that  the  negroes  have  no  prejudices  on  the  sub- 
ject of  meat  which  has  died  a  natural  death.  Even  if  it  is  very 
high  they  relish  it,  and  if  the  beast  has  died  of  disease*,  that  makes 
no  odds  to  their  catholic  stomachs. 

As  usual,  the  people  are  full  of  wonder  at  my  appearance. 
They  avoid  my  glance,  they  admire  my  wonderful  straight  hair, 
my  white  skin  (which  is  pretty  black  by  this  time),  and  my  cloth- 
ing ;  and  at  last  several  urgently  requested  me  to  take  off  my 
"  foot  coverings,"  that  they  might  see  if  I  had  like  toes  with  them. 

I  asked  with  surprise  why  they  had  a  doubt  upon  the  subject, 
and  was  then  informed  that  they  had  thought  perhaps  I  was  like 
a  people  far  away  in  the  interior,  whom  they  call  the  Sajiadi,  and 
who  have  cloven  feet,  like  a  bush  deer. 

Now,  wherever  I  have  been  in  Africa,  I  have  heard  this  legend ; 
and  the  nation  called  Sajiadi  are  always  located  in  much  the  same 
place — in  Central  Equatorial  Africa,  At  Cape  Lopez  slaves  from 
the  interior  had  told  me  of  such  a  people ;  among  the  Camma 
the  curious  legend  is  devoutly  believed ;  Quengueza's  people 
mentioned  them ;  and  now  these  Apingi  proved  believers.  I  al- 
ways questioned  every  body  to  get  at  all  they  thought  or  believed 
upon  the  subject. 

Eemandji  immediately  called  one  of  his  slaves  and  a  man  of 
the  Shimba  tribe,  both  of  whom  declared  positively,  and  with  a 
look  of  great  truthfulness,  that  they  had  seen  the  Sapadi;  that 
they  were  people,  black,  and  in  all  things  like  themselves,  only 
they  had  feet  split  like  a  bush  deer's. 

I  asked  why  they  did  not  capture  these  people  aud  send  them 
to  the  coast  as  slaves ;  to  which  was  answered  that  they  were  so 
far  off  that  they  did  not  reach  to  them. 

That  there  was  a  nation  cloven-footed  they  were  firmly  per- 


ASTONISHMENT  AT  MY  APPEAKANCE. 


498 


suaded,  and  no  reasoning  could  affect  their  belief.  Indeed,  I  sup- 
pose my  white  skin  and  straight  hair  were  quite  as  wonderful  to 
them  as  a  Sapadi's  cloven  foot. 

It  is  curious  that  wherever  I  have  heard  of  this  people  they 
have  had  the  same  name,  Sapadi.  But  the  negro  has  so  vivid  an 
imagination  that  all  conjectures  as  to  the  origin  of  the  superstition 
are  vain.  Some  fellow  may  have  dreamed  it,  and  afterward  in- 
fected the  country  with  his  dream.  Among  the  Camma  many 
people  believe  that  the  whites  who  make  the  cloth  which  traders 
bring  them  are  not  like  us,  but  a  race  with  but  one  eye,  and  that 
in  the  middle  of  the  forehead. 

Dec.  16th.  Yesterday  I  wound  my  musical  box  and  set  it  on  an 
Apingi  stool  in  the  street,  in  the  midst  of  a  great  crowd  who  had 
come  in  to  see  "  the  spirit."  They  were  infinitely  surprised  and 
afraid  at  the  sweet  sounds,  a^id  particularly  when  I  went  away 
from  it  and  left  it  to  play  alone.  They  looked  from  me  to  the 
box,  and  back,  and  finally  exclaimed,  "Lo!  the  devil  speaks  to 
him !"  My  clock  is  kept  on  the  piazza,  and  its  constant  tic-tac, 
particularly  in  the  still  night,  when  it  can  be  heard  all  over  the 
village,  seems  to  strike  them  with  awe.  They  say  the  spirit 
watches  over  me,  especially  when  I  sleep,  and  would  kill  any  one 
who  should  try  to  injure  me  or  my  property. 

When  they  saw  me  write  they  at  once  exclaimed  that  I  was 
about  to  make  cloth,  and  this  was  the  pattern.  "Whereupon  en- 
sued a  council  of  about  thirty  Apingi  chiefs,  who,  after  due  de- 
liberation, came  to  me,  Eemandji  at  their  head,  and  addressed  me, 
saying,  "  Spirit,  you  are  our  king.  You  have  come  to  our  coun- 
try to  do  us  good.  You  can  do  every  thing."  And  then  request- 
ed that  I  would  now  proceed  to  make  for  them  a  pile  of  beads  as 
high  as  the  highest  tree  in  the  village  (pointing  to  it),  that  they 
and  their  women  and  children  might  go  and  take  as  much  as  they 
wished.  Also  cloth,  and  brass  kettles,  and  copper  rods,  and  guns, 
and  powder.  And  all  the  people,  who  had  gathered  around,  to 
the  number  of  several  thousand,  to  listen,  answered  "Yo!  yo!" 
as  a  sign  of  approval. 

I  saw  that  they  really  asked  in  good  faith,  and  had  no  doubt 
but  their  wishes  would  be  readily  fulfilled.  They  believed  fully 
that  I  made  by  night  all  the  articles  which  I  gave  them  day  after 
day  in  return  for  fruits  and  food,  and  that  I  hid  them  in  the  for- 
est during  the  day,  to  be  produced  as  occasion  required.  Nor 


494 


I  AM  EXPECTED  TO  WORK  A  MIRACLE. 


could  I  convince  them  that  I  had  not  the  power  to  make  these 
articles  by  a  simple  operation  of  the  will.  It  was  a  severe  disap- 
pointment to  all  who  had  gathered  from  many  miles  around  to 
witness  the  expected  miracle.  Most  of  the  Apingi  chiefs  had 
come  hither  bringing  whole  villages  of  people  with  them,  who 
encamped  in  the  forest  in  such  numbers  that  starvation  soon  be- 
gan to  appear  in  the  camp.  Even  an  Ashango  chief  had  come 
from  a  hundred  miles  eastward,  so  quickly  does  great  news  travel, 
bringing  some  of  his  people  to  carry  away  a  share  of  the  goods 
which  I  was  to  create  so  miraculously.  As  they  approached,  the 
faces  of  the  great  crowd  were  beaming  with  satisfaction,  and  they 
had  so  little  doubt,  that  if,  indeed,  I  bad  done  the  wonder  they 


APtNQl  MAN  AXD  WOMAN. 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  APINGI. 


495 


asked,  these  poor  heathen  would  scarce  have  been  surprised.  It 
was  a  most  strange  and  curious  scene  to  me.  They  went  away 
grieved,  because,  as  they  thought,  I  refused  to  do  them  a  kindness. 

As  the  people  from  all  the  neighboring  villages  came  to  look 
at  me,  I  got  a  good  idea  of  them  without  going  about  myself. 
The  women  seem  to  be  very  fruitful,  more  so  than  with  an}' 
tribe  I  have  before  seen  in  Africa.  Almost  every  woman  I  see 
has  three  or  four  children.  But  they  are  hideously  ugly,  rather 
small  compared  with  the  men,  and  tattooed  all  over  in  a  manner 
which  they  think  beautiful,  but  which  is  to  me  hideous.  Both 
men  and  women  file  their  teeth,  which  gives  their  faces  a  fright- 
fully savage  appearance. 

In  color  they  are  rather  a  yellowish  black.  Indeed,  I  have  re- 
marked that,  in  all  parts  of  the  continent,  from  the  bounds  of  the 
Sahara  to  the  Apingi,  the  natives  of  the  mountainous  regions  of 
the  interior  are  much  lighter  than  the  people  of  the  sea-board 
and  the  plains  or  desert. 

On  the  17th  we  went  into  the  forest  to  construct  a  trap  for 
leopards,  two  goats  having  disappeared  the  night  before  from  a 
flock  belonging  to  Remandji.  The  trap  was  a  very  singular  and 
most  ingenious  structure.  They  cut  a  great  many  sticks,  which 
were  firmly  put  into  the  ground  close  together,  and  in  two  lines 
or  rows,  about  two  feet  apart.  To  make  them  more  firm,  they 
were  tied  together  with  grape-vines,  and  then  more  sticks  were 
laid  across  the  top,  and  also  strongly  lashed  down.  One  end  of 
the  row  was  left  open ;  the  other  was  closed,  a  live  goat  having 
first  been  fastened  there.  This,  by  its  bleating,  was  to  lure  the 
leopard,  who,  crawling  into  this  cul  de  sac,  had  not  sense  enough 
to  get  out  again,  the  space  being  purposely  made  too  narrow  to 
admit  of  his  turning  around.  This  kind  of  trap  is  also  used  to 
catch  the  small  deer  (ncheri),  and  other  small  animals  of  the 
woods ;  and  I  afterward  saw  such  traps  for  the  smaller  beasts, 
quite  a  mile  long,  with  various  openings,  all  turning  inward,  and 
admitting,  but  not  emitting  the  bewildered  prey. 

On  the  18th  I  was  formally  invested  with  the  kendo,  which  is 
here,  also,  the  insignia  of  the  head-man  or  chief  ruler.  Bemandji 
put  the  kendo  over  my  shoulder,  which  gave  me  like  power  with 
himself.  It  was  done  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd,  who 
shouted  out  their  approval,  and  promised  to  obey  me.  Remandji 
said,  "  You  are  the  spirit,  whom  we  have  never  seen  before.  "We 


496 


I  AM  CHOSEN  KING. 


are  but  poor  people  when  we  see  you.  You  are  of  those  whom 
we  have  often  heard  of,  who  come  from  nobody  knows  where, 
and  whom  we  never  hoped  to  see.  You  are  our  king  and  ruler ; 
stay  with  us  always.  We  love  you,  and  will  do  what  you  wish." 
Whereupon  shouts  and  rejoicings;  palm  wine  was  introduced, 
and  a  general  jollification  ensued,  in  the  orthodox  fashion  at  cor- 
onations. From  this  day,  therefore,  I  may  call  myself  Du  Chail- 
lu  the  First,  King  of  the  Apingi.  Few  sovereigns  have  assumed 
rule  with  so  general  approval  of  their  subjects,  I  imagine.  Of 
course,  I  would  not  submit  to  the  ill  usage  which  the  king  elect 
has  to  undergo  here,  as  in  the  Gaboon  or  other  tribes,  before  his 
investiture  ;  therefore  it  was  omitted  in  my  case. 

The  kendo  used  here  is  made  by  the  Shimba,  a  tribe  still  farther 
east,  who  are  reputed  the  greatest  workers  in  iron  in  all  this  re- 
gion. From  them  all  these  interior  tribes  obtain  the  few  iron 
articles  they  possess. 

This  country  is  full  of  palm-trees,  of  the  kind  the  fruit  of  which 
yields  oil.  I  never  saw  such  vast  quantities  of  palms,  all  hang- 
ing full  of  ripe  nuts.  Thousands  of  tuns  of  oil  might  easily  be 
made  here,  and  transported  on  rafts  by  water  to  the  sea-board, 
if  only  the  trade  could  once  be  opened.  The  Apingi  eat  the  nuts, 
and  seem  to  thrive  upon  them.  Indeed,  I  incline  to  the  belief 
that  this  nutritious  food  is  one  cause  of  the  superior  fertility  of 
the  Apingi  women.  They  make  but  little  oil,  and  use  that  chief- 
ly to  rub  on  their  heads  and  bodies.  The  Ashira  are  their  only 
customers,  and  that  to  the  extent  of  only  a  few  calabashes  of  oil 
annually,  for  which  they  pay  such  a  trifle  that  it  is  not  worth 
their  while  to  make  it. 

They  are  fond  of  the  palm  wine,  and  go  out  regularly  into  the 
forest  to  make  it.  In  my  wanderings  and  hunts,  I  often  saw  the 
calabash  hung  to  a  tube  inserted  in  the  tree ;  the  owner  comes 
for  it  early  in  the  morning,  and  generally  drinks  it  in  the  forest 
alone,  lest,  if  he  took  it  into  the  village,  some  thirsty  friend  might 
beg  a  drop.  They  do  not  kill  the  tree  to  get  the  juice,  as  do 
many  other  tribes.  The  men  love  to  get  drunk.  I  have  seen 
half  the  men  in  a  town  drunk  at  the  same  time.  But  it  must  be 
said  for  the  women  that  they  are  much  more  temperate,  though 
sometimes  they  also  get  drunk. 

The  women  have  a  particular  form  of  tattooed  lines  which 
is  thought  most  beautiful.  A  broad  stripe  is  drawn  from  the 
back  of  the  neck  along  the  shoulders,  across  the  breasts,  meeting 


COSTUME  OF  THE  WOMEN. 


497 


in  an  acute  angle  in  the  hollow  of  the  chest.  Other  stripes  are 
drawn  in  curves  along  the  back,  and  from  the  breast  down  over 
the  abdomen.  The  more  of  these  marks,  the  greater  is  the 
beauty.  They  are  permitted  to  wear  only  two  of  the  little 
squares  in  which  the  Apingi  grass-cloth  is  made,  and,  consequent- 
ly, go  nearly  naked,  while  their  husbands  are  often  fully  covered. 
I  can  not  divine  the  origin  of  this  custom  ;  but  it  has  robbed  the 
women  of  any  remnant  of  modesty  which  exists  naturally  in  oth- 
er tribes.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  a  trace  left,  and  yet  are  not 
lewd  or  forward.  Eemandji's  head-wife  or  queen,  a  rather  pret- 
'  ty  young  woman  after  the  Apingi  custom,  came  with  her  husband 
one  day  to  see  me.  I  gave  her  a  piece  of  bright  cotton  cloth, 
which  delighted  her  so  much  that  she  immediately  began,  to  my 
great  dismay,  to  disrobe  herself,  in  order  to  put  on  my  present. 
But,  when  she  had  reduced  herself  to  a  state  of  nature,  something 
else  of  my  goods  attracted  her  attention,  and  she  began  to  talk 
and  look  around  her  with  the  most  complete  unconcern  for  quite 
a  while,  before  she  bethought  her  of  the  neglected  cloth,  with 
which  she  endued  herself  very  leisurely. 

I  had  quite  an  adventure  with  another  of  the  women.  The 
king,  on  my  arrival,  signified  to  me,  with  the  usual  liberality  df 
African  kings,  that  any  of  his  wives,  or  any  of  any  body  else's 
wives  that  pleased  my  eyes,  I  was  requested  to  consider  my  own. 
I,  of  course,  replied  that  white  men  did  not  marry  in  this  off-hand 
way ;  which  he  could  not  at  all  understand.  As,  however,  the 
women  are  the  housekeepers,  when  I  was  settled  a  little  I  chose 
one  of  the  oldest  and  ugliest  that  I  saw,  and  installed  her  as  my 
housekeeper,  cook,  and  maid  of  all  work.  For  two  or  three  da}rs 
all  went  well.  But  one  morning  I  was  waited  upon  by  quite  a 
deputation  of  men  and  women,  who  hailed  me  with  much  joy  as 
their  relative ;  thanked  me  for  the  honor  I  had  done  them  in  tak- 
ing their  relative  to  wife ;  and  gravely  asked  me  for  presents  to 
make  their  hearts  glad  on  such  a  joyful  occasion. 

I  confess  that  for  once  I  lost  my  temper.  I  took  a  stick  and 
drove  my  new  relatives  out  of  the  village,  packed  off  my  slander- 
ing housekeeper  after  them,  and  heaped  all  the  abuse  upon  them 
I  was  master  of  in  Apingi.  They  fled  with  the  utmost  conster- 
nation. 

"When  I  told  Eemandji  of  the  affair,  he  laughed  and  said, 
"  You  see — why  don't  you  take  my  advice?" 

I  I 


498 


WEAVING  GRASS-CLOTH. 


The  Apingi  are,  for  Africa,  a  very  industrious  people.  The 
men  do  some  work  here,  and  this  is  an  extraordinary  sight  in 
Western  Africa.  They  use  the  fibrous  parts  of  the  leaf  of  a 
palm,  which  grows  in  great  abundance  here,  to  make  a  fine  grass- 
cloth,  for  which  they  are  noted  among  all  the  tribes.  It  is  called 
mbongo  when  in  squares,  and,  by  the  tedious  course  of  trade 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  comes  even  to  the  sea-shore.  The  other  tribes 
farther  eastward  also  make  this  cloth.  They  told  me  that  this 
palm  (which  is  a  new  species  not  familiar  to  me)  perished  when 
it  had  once  borne  seed.  Though  found  growing  wild,  it  is  also 
planted  about  all  their  houses,  and,  with  some  fruit-trees  they 
have,  is  property,  which  only  the  owner  may  use. 

The  having  property  in  trees  of  any  kind  is  something  new  to 
me  in  Africa,  and  shows  that  the  Apingi  have  made  a  very  im- 
portant step  in  advance  of  the  Bakalai  and  Shekiani,  and  all  the 
other  tribes  I  have  met.  Moreover,  an  Apingi  village  stands 
and  remains  in  the  same  place,  at  least  for  a  long  time.  They 
are  a  settled  people,  and  need  only  flocks  and  cattle  to  make 
them  a  very  prospering  nation.  Among  the  other  tribes  de- 
scribed in  this  book  a  town  is  only  a  temporary  resting-place, 
abandoned  at  the  first  death ;  land  and  trees,  of  whatever  kind, 
are  free  to  any  one ;  and  even  with  the  Mpongwe  of  the  Gaboon, 
who  have  long  been  under  trading  influence,  though  they  can  not 
afford  to  remove  a  whole  town,  the  house  in  which  a  man  has  died 
is  destroyed,  never  to  be  raised  again  on  the  same  spot.  The  read- 
er will  appreciate  the  delight  with  which  I  hailed  a  people  who 
live  on  the  same  spot  for  several  generations ;  who  cultivate  and 
acknowledge  private  property  in  trees ;  and  who  make  cloth. 

The  men  are  the  weavers  among  the  Apingi.  The  loom  is  a 
complicated  instrument,  much  resembling  that  used  by  the  Ashi- 
ra,  who  have,  no  doubt,  got  it  from  these  neighbors  of  theirs. 
The  loom  is  stretched  under  the  piazza  of  the  house,  and  it  is  a 
very  pretty  and  cheering  sight,  as  one  walks  along  the  street,  to 
see  a  number  of  buay  weavers  weaving  this  fine  and  very  useful 
cloth. 

The  Apingi  have  the  reputation  of  making  the  softest  grass- 
cloth  in  all  this  region.  Some  of  their  colored  patterns  are  very 
pretty.  The  pieces,  owing  to  the  short  staple  of  the  fibre  used, 
and  their  inability  to  give  it  a  longer  twist,  are  never  more  than 
three  feet  long  by  about  two  wide.    To  work  in  colors,  they  first 


A  FEfiCH  TO  KILL  LEOPAEDS. 


499 


dye  the  threads,  and  very  ingeniously  work  them  in  in  the  weav- 
ing. It  is  a  day's  work  to  make  one  plain  square ;  and  to  make 
one  of  the  colored  ones  takes  two,  and  sometimes  three  days. 
The  square  is  about  two  feet  long  and  eighteen  inches  in  width. 
When  sent  off  to  sell  they  are  tied  up  in  packages  of  twenty  or 
thirty.  In  this  shape  they  find  their  way  even  down  to  the 
coast,  and  are  every  where  used  for  garments,  and  also  for  mus- 
quito-bars.  My  bars  were  always  of  this  stuff.  The  natives  pre- 
fer it  to  our  common  trade-cottons ;  and  here,  in  Apingi-land,  the 
people  did  not  care  to  trade  their  cloth  for  mine,  for  which  I  did 
not  blame  them. 

To  make  a  ndengui  several  of  the  mbongo  pieces  are  sewed 
together  with  grass  thread  and  a  wooden  needle,  and  the  sewing 
is  done  quite  as  neatly  as  ours.  The  men  are  the  tailors.  From 
six  to  nine  cloths  go  to  a  ndengui.  The  dandies  among  the 
Apingi  wear  sometimes  a  cloth  thrown  over  the  shoulder,  more 
for  ornament  than  use.  The  women  are  strictly  restricted  to  the 
very  moderate  costume  I  have  already  described. 

Yesterday  I  told  Eemandji  I  wanted  to  go  on  a  leopard- 
hunt.  He  immediately  brought  me  a  man  who  had  a  fetich 
which  enabled  him  to  kill  leopards  ad  libitum,  and  without  per- 
sonal danger.  I  laughed.  The  man  said,  "Laugh,  oh  white 
man,  but  you  will  see." 

He  went  through  a  mass  of  ceremonies,  then  told  me  I  must 
not  accompany  him,  but  that  next  day  I  should  see  a  leopard. 
His  big  monda  would  help  him.  * 

This  morning  he  started,  and,  to  my  surprise,  came  in  in  the 
afternoon  with  a  handsome  leopard.  He  asked  so  much  for  the 
skin,  which  they  value  for  ornaments,  that  I  would  not  buy  it. 
I  suppose  they  must  be  plenty  in  the  forest,  and  shall  go  out  and 
kill  for  myself. 

The  strip  of  skin  cut  from  the  head  along  the  spine  to  the  tail 
is  used  here  as  a  war-belt,  after  being  charmed  by  the  fetich-man 
or  ouganga.  This  makes  them  invulnerable,  they  say.  No  spear, 
or  arrow,  or  bullet  can  hit  a  man  who  has  such  a  belt  on.  Of 
course,  as  only  one  belt  can  be  made  from  each  skin,  and  nothing 
but  a  leopard's  skin  will  answer,  these  bear  a  high  price,  every 
warrior  placing  a  great  account  upon  his  personal  safety. 


500 


SINGULAR  CAUSE  FOR  FEAR. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Bible-reading. — The  Negroes  are  frightened  and  run  away. — The  Ceremony  of 
Bongo. — Its  Importance. — Curious  Phase  of  African  Slavery. — Preparations  to 
ascend  the  River. — Apingi  Villages. — Fetiches. — Superstitions. — Spiders. — Curi- 
ous Manner  of  catching  their  Prey. — New  Animals. — Capsized. — Putrid  Corpse 
in  a  Village. — Curious  Manner  of  Burial. — Leave  the  River. — The  Region  be- 
yond.— Return  to  Remandgi's  Town. — Explore  the  Mountains. — The  Isogo. — Be- 
yond the  Isogo. — Ultima  Thule. — My  Shoes  give  out. — Starvation. — Great  Suffer- 
ing.— Shoot  a  Gorilla. — Dlness. — Home-sick. — The  Return  to  the  Sea-shore. — 
Etita:  a  very  singular  Disease. — The  Remedy. — Heavy  Rains. — An  uncomforta- 
ble Night. — Fierce  Attack  of  Bashikouay  Ants. — Difference  of  Seasons. — Arrival 
in  Biagano. — Close. 

December  l§th  was  Sunday  by  my  account.  I  sat  in  my  hut 
and  read  the  Bible,  and  a  great  crowd  came  around  and  watched 
me  with  wondering  eyes.  I  explained  to  them  that  when  I  read  it 
it  was  as  though  God  talked  with  me.  Then,  to  gratify  them,  I 
read  aloud,  and  afterward  tried  to  explain  to  them  something  of 
the  teachings  of  Christ.  Presently  I  let  the  leaves  of  the  book 
slip  through  my  hands  to  show  them  how  many  there  were.  To 
my  great  surprise,  the  little  noise  I  thus  made  seemed  to  fright- 
en them  very  much.  In  an  instant  the  whole  crowd,  Eemandji 
and  all,  had  disappeared,  with  symptoms  of  the  greatest  terror. 
My  fiAt  effort  to  speak  to  them  the  Word  of  God  seemed  to  meet 
with  little  success. 

By-and-by  I  persuaded  some  to  come  back,  and  they  told  me 
that  the  noise  I  made  was  like  that  made  by  their  spirit.  They 
seemed  to  think  that  I  had  some  communication  with  Ococoo. 
who  is  their  chief  spirit. 

To-day  many  people  returned  to  their  villages  disappointed 
that  I  did  not  make  for  them  cloth,  copper,  and  iron,  which  noth- 
ing will  convince  them  that  I  can  not  make  in  great  profusion 
by  a  mere  effort  of  the  will. 

On  the  20th,  as  I  was  speaking  with  Remandji,  a  man  came  and 
laid  his  hands  on  the  chief's  head.  He  said,  "  Father,  I  want 
to  serve  you.  I  choose  you  for  my  master,  and  will  never  re- 
turn to  my  old  master." 

This  ceremony  is  called  bongo,  and  is  a  curious  phase  of  Afri- 


THE  CEREMONY  OF  BONGO. 


501 


can  slavery.  It  obtains  more  or  less  in  all  the  tribes.  When  a 
slave  gets  hard  treatment  from  his  master,  and  has  reason  to  be 
dissatisfied,  he  slips  off  to  another  village  and  chooses  for  him- 
self a  new  master.  This  man  is  obliged  to  accept  and  protect 
him.  He  can  not  refuse.  Nor  is  any  "  palaver"  made  on  this 
account.  No  one,  for  instance,  could  hold  Reman dji  responsible 
for  this  act.  He  may  even  visit  immediately  the  village  from 
which  the  slave  has  run  away;  only  the  slave  himself  must  not  go 
back  thither,  else  he  exposes  himself  to  be  reclaimed.  The  bongo 
is  given  always  to  a  person  of  another  village,  and  always  to  one 
of  another  family  or  clan  in  the  same  tribe.  The  technical  term 
is  to  "  beat  bongo,"  in  allusion  to  the  laying  on  of  hands.  This 
singular  custom  has  a  marked  influence  on  the  condition  of  the 
slaves,  who  have  always  open  to  them  this  legitimate  and  tolera- 
ably  easy  avenue  of  escape  from  tyranny.  It  prevents  families 
being  separated,  in  particular,  for  nothing  will  make  a  slave  leave 
his  master  so  quickly  as  to  have  his  wife  sold  away  from  him. 

To-day  canoes  were  being  procured  for  an  ascent  of  the  river. 
They  got  quite  a  little  fleet  together  for  me ;  but  all  are  small,  and 
so  easily  capsized  that  navigation  is  by  no  means  comfortable  to 
me,  who  can  scarce  swim  a  stroke.  However,  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  so  I  prepared  for  accidents  by  tying  my  compass  to  a  cord 
fastened  about  my  neck,  then  tied  my  gun  fast  by  a  long  rope  to 
the  canoe,  which  would  float  in  any  case,  and  took,  besides  this, 
only  a  little  box  containing  a  change  of  clothes  and  two  pairs  of 
shoes  (the  most  necessary  article  hereabouts  to  the  traveler). 
Then  Remandji,  myself,  and  a  paddler  got  in  and  started;  follow- 
ed by  the  fleet. 

The  canoes  are  quite  flat  in  the  bottom,  sit  almost  entirely 
above  water,  and  are  very  well  designed  to  stem  the  swift  cur- 
rent of  this  river,  which  runs,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  at  the  rate 
of  four  or  five  miles  per  hour. 

Before  we  started  necessity  compelled  me  to  spend  a  morning 
at  the  river-side  washing  my  clothes.  The  negroes  have  so  little 
idea  of  even  the  commonest  cleanliness,  that  they  never  wash 
their  scanty  garments.  When  I  make  a  considerable  stay  with 
any  tribe  I  generally  manage  to  teach  some  woman  how  to  wash. 
It  is  a  disagreeable  labor,  which  I  can  not  bear.  I  would  much 
rather  cook,  though  that  generally  falls  to  some  one  else. 

We  ascended  the  river  at  very  slow  speed,  passing  the  shores 


502 


UP  THE  RIVER. 


at  the  rate  of  about  two  or  three  miles  the  hour.  The  people 
sang  as  they  paddled.  I  sat  very  still  and  very  uncomfortably  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

We  passed  several  villages  in  about  three  hours  after  starting. 
These  Apingi  villages  are  not  as  pretty  to  look  upon  as  those  of 
the  Ashira.  In  the  latter  I  find  always  a  veranda  next  the 
house,  where  the  cooking  is  done ;  while  in  the  Apingi  house  the 
same  room  has  to  serve  as  store-room,  bed-room,  and  kitchen. 
The  Apingi  houses  are  built  of  bark,  as  the  Ashira,  and  the  roof 
is  made  of  large  leaves.  There  is  generally  one  larger  house  in 
the  village,  which  belongs  to  the  chief.  The  villages  have  no 
high  fence  of  pickets,  which  is  an  evidence  that  the  people  are 
not  warlike. 

"We  landed  at  the  village  of  Agoby,  a  chief  I  had  seen  before. 
He  gave  me  some  fowls,  but  complained  that  the  leopards  had 
eaten  up  all  his  goats.  I  saw  here  the  largest  ashangou-tree  I 
ever  saw.  It  was  hung  full  of  the  olive-shaped  fruit.  This  is 
larger  than  our  olives,  quite  fleshy,  and,  when  ripe,  of  a  dark  red 
color.  This  tree,  and  a  number  of  others,  Agoby  told  me  had 
been  planted  by  his  grandfather,  which  shows  that  property  has 
been  respected  among  these  people  for  at  least  two  or  three  gen- 
erations. Most  of  these  villages  are  surrounded  by  groves  of 
these  trees.  The  fruit  is  boiled,  and  has  then  an  agreeable  acidi- 
ty both  pleasant  and  wholesome  in  this  climate.* 

I  find  that  the  superstitions  of  this  people  are  as  great  as  those 
of  the  tribes  nearer  the  sea.  They  hold  that  death  is  caused  by 
witchcraft;  but  yet' they  do  not  remove  after  every  death  as  do 
the  Camraa,  Shekiani,  Bakalai,  and  the  other  tribes.  Among  the 
sea-shore  tribes  the  Apingi  have  great  repute  as  wizards,  and 
Apingi-land  is  the  land  of  aniemba,  where  any  one  may  learn  to 
become  a  powerful  sorcerer.  Consequently,  the  Apingi  fetiches 
are  very  highly  valued  by  the  coast  tribes,  especially  those  pro- 
fessing to  remove  barrenness.  I  had  special  instructions  from  a 
number  of  childless  fathers  in  my  town  on  the  sea-shore  to  bring 
them  some  Apingi  mondas,  but  the  price  proved  too  high  for  my 
means  and  my  good-nature,  and  I  did  not,  either,  care  to  give 
any  such  indorsement  to  their  superstitious  nonsense. 

*  In  the  forests  near  the  sea-shore  is  found  a  tree  belonging  to  the  same  family  as 
the  ashangon,  and  which  is  there  called  the  ashafou.  But  the  fruit  of  this  is  less 
fleshy  and  more  acid  than  that  of  the  ashangou,  and,  when  ripe,  is  of  a  rosy  hue. 


IMMENSE  SPIDERS. 


503 


In  the  evening  we  had  a  dance,  and  Agoby,  bent  on  the  utmost 
civility,  sent  some  women  to  dance  for  my  especial  delectation.  I 
quickly  sent  them  back,  preferring  to  take  my  amusements  with 
the  mass.  The  African  dances  are  much  alike  every  where,  and 
had  long  ceased  to  amuse  me. 

As  I  was  walking  through  the  forest  on  a  hunt  the  next  day, 
I  was  bitten  by  one  of  the  immense  yellow-spotted  spiders  which 
are  so  numerous  in  all  the  African  woods  and  openings,  and  in 
the  huts  of  the  natives  as  well.  Some  of  the  spiders  of  this  coun- 
try grow  to  an  immense  size.  I  have  frequently  seen  them  with 
a  body  as  large  as  a  sparrow's  egg.  The  house-spider,  which 
lives  chiefly  on  flies  and  roaches,  is  mostly  of  a  dull  gray,  which 
conceals  its  approach  in  the  gloom  of  the  hut.  One  species  of 
house-spider  does  not  make  a  web  for  its  prey,  so  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  discover.  It  conceals  itself  during  the  day  in  the 
crevices  of  the  hut,  and  preys  only  by  night.  At  the  approach 
of  evening,  the  roaches,  which  so  swarm  in  every  African  hut, 
come  forth  to  act  their  part  of  scavengers.  Then,  by  the  dim 
light  of  a  torch,  and  half  smothered  with  the  heat,  I  have,  for 
hours  at  a  time,  watched  the  motions  of  this  spider.  It  comes  out 
very  carefully  from  its  lair,  and,  having  got  a  good  station,  re- 
mains perfectly  rigid  and  motionless  often  for  half  an  hour,  wait- 
ing for  some  unlucky  roach  to  pass  by.  At  last  the  roach  rushes 
past.  In  an  instant  the  spider  has  pounced  upon  him.  Now  en- 
sues a  tug  and  battle  which  is  of  the  greatest  interest,  and  which  is 
often  prolonged  for  half  an  hour.  The  great  African  roach  grows 
to  the  size  of  an  almost-grown  mouse,  and  is  a  strong  and  some- 
what formidable  animal  to  the  spider.  The  latter  fastens  on  its 
back,  and,  to  prevent  being  borne  off,  clings  with  two  of  his  hairy 
legs  to  the  floor  or  sides.  All  the  roach's  endeavors  are  to  escape. 
He  tugs  and  jerks,  and  often  succeeds  in  dragging  his  enemy  off 
for  some  distance.  Then  the  spider  succeeds  in  catching  hold 
with  his  feet  again,  and  once  more  the  struggle  is  renewed.  All 
this  time,  however,  the  spicier  is  sucking  away  at  the  juices  of  the 
roach,  and  so  presently  the  struggles  grow  weaker  and  weaker, 
and  the  poor  roach  succumbs;  whereupon  his  enemy  drags  off 
the  body  to  some  corner,  where  it  can  be  finished  at  leisure. 

Another  very  large  house-spider  spins  a  web,  and  catches  its 
prey  of  flies  and  roaches  as  ours  do. 

But  the  largest  and  most  numerous  species  are  found  in  the 


504 


A  REMARKABLY  SMALL  SQUIRREL. 


forest.  The  large  black  and  yellow  spotted  one  by  which.  I  was 
bitten  spins  its  web  in  every  wood.  The  web  is  a  bright  yellow, 
like  the  same  color  in  the  spider's  body.  It  is  generally  placed 
in  an  open  space  between  two  shrubs,  and  is  often  three  feet  in 
diameter.  The  thread  is  very  coarse,  and  so  strong  that  when, 
walking  rapidly,  I  have  inadvertently  run  against  such  a  web,  I 
have  felt  a  very  perceptible  resistance  to  my  progress.  The 
bite  of  this  insect  is  very  painful,  but  not  poisonous.  The  pain, 
which  is  like  running  a  red-hot  needle  into  the  flesh,  is  soon  over, 
and  the  wound  heals  up  immediately.  I  have  been  several  times 
bitten  by  this  spider. 

One  or  two  species  have  very  short  legs,  and  flat,  oval  bodies, 
surrounded  by  pointed  spurs,  looking,  when  taken  from  their  webs, 
more  like  bugs  than  veritable  spiders.  All  the  wood-spiders  use 
webs  to  entangle  their  prey.  They  are  of  many  colors ;  but  none 
are  poisonous  to  man,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discover,  by 
the  personal  trial  of  being  bitten,  or  by  the  report  of  the  natives. 

Also,  during  my  stay  at  Agoby's  village.  I  shot  two  very  re- 


tue  kehdo  bqitirbel  (Sciunw  minutus) — natural  size. 


THE  ANOMALURUS  BELDENI.  505 

markable  little  animals.  One,  called  by  the  Apingi  the  kendo, 
is  a  squirrel,  and  the  smallest,  by  far,  yet  known.  It  is  given,  in 
its  actual  size,  in  the  accompanying  engraving,  made  from  my 
stuffed  specimen.  It  is  a  graceful,  lively  little  animal,  leaping 
from  branch  to  branch,  sitting  up  on  its  hind  legs  to  gnaw  its 
food,  carrying  its  tail  over  its  back,  and  in  all  respects  acting  like 
its  larger  brethren. 

It  seems  to  me  one  of  the  most  curious  and  graceful  little  ani- 
mals I  saw  in  Africa.  When  my  guide  saw  my  shot,  and  the 
poor  little  thing  tumbling  to  the  ground,  he  was  greatly  amazed 
at  such  skill ;  and  when  we  got  back  to  the  village,  the  negroes 
told  me,  with  astonishment,  that  this  was  the  first  time  they  had 
ever  known  a  kendo  killed.  They  concluded  that  I  had  a  very 
powerful  monda,  by  whose  aid  alone  I  could  accomplish  such 
wonders.  Many  have  begged  me  to  make  them  mondas  to  give 
them  skill  in  the  hunt. 

On  another  day,  as  I  was  hunting  in  the  forest,  I  came  to  an 
immense  tree,  whose  vast  trunk  was  covered  and  hung  about 
with  a  great  number  of  dead  vines.  Such  trees  are  the  common 
resort  of  nocturnal  animals  and  birds,  which  here  find  cozy  nooks 
wherein  to  conceal  themselves  by  day;  and  I  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  the  vines  for  a  prize  of  this  kind.  Presently 
I  saw  something,  which,  being  brought  down  by  the  gun,  proved 
to  be  an  Anomalurus.  On  examination,  to  my  joy,  I  found  it  a 
new  species.  The  animals  of  the  genus  Anomalurus  are  very  rare, 
and,  so  far,  only  four  species  are  known,  including  this  which  I 
shot,  and  of  which  this  specimen  in  my  collection  is  the  only  one 
I  was  able  to  secure.  It  is  a  beautiful  little  animal,  with  soft  fur. 
Its  flying  membrane  permits  it  to  fly  downward;  but  I  do  not 
think  it  is  equal  to  an  upward  flight,  as  the  membrane  is  not 
larger  than  in  those  of  other  species  which  I  have  shot,  and 
which  I  know  were  not  able  to  fly  upward.* 

I  named  this  little  animal  the  Anomalurus  Beldeni,  in  remem- 
brance of  my  good  friend  Geo.  Mortimer  Belden,  Esq.,  of  New  York. 

On  the  20th  we  made  about  thirty  miles  up  stream.  On  the 
22d  we  started  again,  and  made  some  ten  miles  more,  through  a 
beautiful  but  mountainous  country,  and  over  as  noble  a  river  as 
the  heart  of  a  steam-boat  captain  could  wish  for.    No  rapids  im- 

*  For  a  detailed  description,  naturalists  are  referred  to  Proceedings  of  Boston  Soc. 
Nat.  Hist,  for  1860. 


506 


RIVER  NAVIGATION. 


ANOMALURrS  BEL11E>L 


peded  our  progress,  and,  though 
the  current  was  strong,  the  wa- 
ter was^  every  where  of  good 
depth,  averaging  from  three  to 
four  fathoms.  This  is  the  rainy 
season.  The  songs  of  numer- 
ous birds  resounded  gayly  over  the  waters,  and  the  busy  hum  of 
insect  life  came  with  a  gentle  buzz  to  us  as  we  voyaged  along. 
Every  thing  was  clad  in  brightest  green.  The  river-bank,  down 
to  the  very  water's  edge,  was  a  mass  of  verdure.  It  was  as  pleas- 
ant a  country  as  could  be  seen  any  where  in  America,  only  lack- 
ing the  softening  touch  of  human  culture  to  make  it  perfect. 


WE  ARE  CAPSIZED. 


507 


In  the  afternoon,  near  sunset,  the  accident  which  I  had  provided 
against  happened.  A  canoe,  attempting  to  cross  the  rapid  river, 
was  borne  down  by  the  current,  and,  before  we  could  get  out  of 
the  way,  swept  down  upon  us.  In  a  moment  both  frail  boats 
were  capsized,  and  the  men  were  swimming  for  the  shore.  As 
for  poor  me,  I  dared  not  trust  my  unskillful  self  to  the  stream. 
I  clung  to  the  canoe.  Happily,  we  were  not  far  from  shore,  and 
Remandji  and  my  paddler  soon  dragged  the  boat  to  where  I  could 
get  a  footing  and  wade  out.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the 
old  woman  whose  canoe  had  caused  the  accident.  She  swam  off 
down  stream  like  a  buoy,  shouting  continually,  ""Where  is  my 
bunch  of  plantains?  Give  me  my  plantains!"  Climbing  out  at 
a  bend  of  the  river,  she  waited  for  her  capsized  canoe  to  float 
along,  secured  that,  and  then  got  in  again  and  paddled  off,  full 
of  complaints  at  losing  her  plantains.  All  these  Apingi  swim 
like  so  many  fishes,  and,  I  suppose,  have  occasion  enough  for  the 
accomplishment,  with  their  little  cockle-shells  of  boats. 

Wet  as  I  was,  and  with  my  little  box  of  clothes  and  rifle  soak- 
ing, we  marched  off  to  a  village  near  which  we  were  capsized. 
As  we  entered,  my  nostrils  were  assailed  by  a  most  horrible  and 
loathsome  smell,  as  of  meat  in  the  last  stage  of  putrescence.  The 
whole  village  was  tainted,  and  my  stomach  was  quite  turned  with 
the  abominable  stench.  On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  it  proceeded 
from  the  putrid  corpse  of  a  man  who  had  died  seven  days  ago. 
It  is  their  custom  to  keep  the  body  just  as  long  as  it  will  hold 
together.  It  lies  in  the  house  in  which  it  died,  and  the  only 
wonder  is  that  the  stench  does  not  breed  a  disease. 

I  at  once  told  Remandji  that  I  could  not  stay  there  unless  they 
buried  the  corpse  immediately.  I  was  accordingly  conducted  to 
the  windward  end  of  the  village,  where  the  air  was  but  little 
tainted.  Judge  of  my  astonishment,  when  presently  a  man  ap- 
peared, bearing  upon  his  shoulders  the  nearly  naked  and  fester- 
ing body.  They  had  determined  that  it  was  as  well  to  humor 
my  prejudice,  and  this  was  the  funeral  cortege.  They  make  no 
coffin,  but  always  bear  the  corpse  out  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
nearest  male  relative.  No  man  follows  the  deceased  to  his  last 
resting-place.  There  is  no  cemetery,  and  they  leave  the  body  at 
but  little  distance  from  the  village.  No  grave  is  dug,  but  it  is 
laid  in  a  cleared  space,  and  near  it  are  placed  some  tusks  of  ivory, 
or  some  of  the  bracelets  or  other  ornaments  of  deceased. 


508 


NEW-BORN  CHILDREN  MURDERED. 


While  I  was  in  this  village  a  woman  gave  birth  to  twins,  and 
one  of  the  children  was  immediately  killed,  the  negroes  of  this 
and  most  of  the  other  tribes  holding  that  if  both  are  permitted  to 
live  the  mother  will  die.  In  Obindji's  town  I  once  saw  two  boys, 
seven  years  old,  who  had  both  escaped,  and  their  mother  too: 
but  all  the  people  looked  upon  her  as  a  remarkable  woman. 

Salt  is  very  scarce  here,  and  bears  a  high  value.  It  is  all 
brought  from  the  sea-shore,  the  Cape  Lopez  people  making  con- 
siderable quantities  yearly,  which  is  then  scattered  over  the  inte- 
rior. Here,  among  the  Apingi,  it  is  so  scarce  that  ten  pounds  of 
poor  salt  will  buy  a  boy  slave.  It  is  a  great  luxury ;  I  have  little 
doubt  that  they  suffer  for  the  lack  of  it.  I  think  the  frequency 
of  skin  diseases  and  ulcers  here  is  caused,  partly,  by  lack  of  salt. 
Yet  the  Apingi  have  less  disease  of  these  kinds  than  the  Bakalai. 
But  they  do  not,  like  the  Bakalai,  eat  so  much  tainted  and  dis- 
eased meat,  and  they  consume  a  great  deal  more  oil  than  those, 
this  being  a  poor  country  for  hunting,  but  abounding  in  palm-oil 
palms,  which  furnish  them  a  considerable  portion  of  their  food. 

Bee.  23d.  Having  no  fit  canoe,  I  am  obliged  to  give  up  my 
projected  farther  ascent  of  the  river.  So  far  as  I  have  ascended, 
the  Rembo  Apingi  runs  nearly  due  south.  It  is  from  three  to 
four  hundred  yards  wide,  of  good  depth,  and  with  a  rapid  cur- 
rent. The  villages  are  mostly  situated  on  heights  a  little  back 
from  the  river  banks.  There  is  no  change  in  their  habits,  nor  do 
the  women  improve  either  in  beauty  or  in  variety  of  costume  as 
the  traveler  ascends. 

We  returned  to  Remandji's  town  on  the  evening  of  the  24th, 
and  next  day,  having  procured  the  largest,  stoutest  canoe  I  could 
find,  I  set  off  down  the  river  to  try  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  great 
wonder  of  this  region,  the  great  fall  of  Samba  Nagoshi,  of  which 
I  had  already  heard  so  much.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  dozen 
canoes  full  of  negroes.  The  stream  is  very  rapid.  This  was  the 
rainy  season,  and  the  banks  were  filled,  the  water  turbid  and  yel- 
low, and  the  current  swift,  running  at  the  rate  of  about  five  miles 
an  hour.  We  swept  rapidly  down  stream  past  the  villages  of 
the  Kamba,  Aviia,  Osounga,  and  Njavi  tribes. 

The  scenery  grew  grander  and  bolder  as  we  advanced.  The 
mountains  neared ;  the  banks  became  high  and  precipitous ;  the 
force  of  the  current  increased ;  and  every  mile  of  downward  prog- 
ress seemed  to  bring  us  to  a  more  magnificent  country.    At  last 


THE  FALL  OF  SAMBA  NAGOSHI. 


509 


we  could  hear  the  dull  boom  of  the  fall  in  the  distance.  The 
negroes  told  me  it  was  still  a  long  distance  off — as  near  as  I  could 
tell,  at  least  five  or  six  miles ;  but  even  here  the  river  began  to 
break  up  into  rapids,  and  navigation  in  the  small  Apingi  canoes 
became  too  dangerous  to  risk  it  farther.  So  I  pulled  the  canoe 
to  shore,  and  called^  halt.  By  this  time  it  was  nearly  dark.  We 
had  come  down  from  Eemandji's  about  sixty  miles.  "We  made 
our  camp  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  and  in  hearing  of  the  fall, 
which  I  determined  to  see  the  next  day  by  an  overland  journey. 

The  mighty  roar  of  the  fall  sounded  in  my  ears  all  night, 
and  next  morning  I  wished  to  start  early  to  see  it.  But,  alas ! 
no  one  would  accompany  me.  The  men  represented  that  some 
hostile  Bakalai  lived  in  the  forest  on  the  way,  who  would  kill 
them;  and  after  a  survey  of  the  almost  impenetrable  jungle,  I 
had  to  give  up  all  idea  of  trying  it  alone,  which  had  been  my 
first  thought.  So,  after  much  fruitless  inquiry  and  vain  effort 
with  my  cowardly  followers,  I  had  to  give  up  all  hope  of  see- 
ing this  remarkable  fall.  That  I  missed,  when  so  near  it,  so 
fine  a  sight,  was  a  severe  disappointment  to  me ;  but  the  traveler 
in  Africa  learns,  by  bitter  experience,  to  give  up  to  circumstances 
once  in  a  while,  and  to  feel  thankful  if,  on  the  whole,  he  has  ac- 
complished the  main  part  of  his  undertaking,  even  with  such  un- 
pleasant drawbacks  as  this. 

That  the  fall  of  Samba  Nagoshi  is  a  majestic  sight  all  the  de- 
scriptions of  the  negroes  go  to  prove.  It  is  the  great  marvel  of 
which  all  the  tribes  have  heard,  even  those  who  live  at  a  distance, 
and  of  which  all  speak  with  awe  and  wonder.  Better  proof  yet 
is  the  very  considerable  volume  of  water  which  the  Bembo 
Apingi  brings  down  here,  as  well  as  the  great  roar,  which  filled 
the  air  at  the  distance  of,  I  judge,  four  or  five  miles,  nearer  than 
which  I  did  not  get,  on  account  of  the  rapids.  I  have  named 
this  fall  in  my  map  the  Eugenie,  in  honor  of  her  majesty  the  Em- 
press of  the  French. 

My  men  told  me  that  before  the  moving  hither  of  the  savage 
and  treacherous  Bakalai,  the  Apingi  used  to  penetrate  down  river 
as  far  as  the  Anenga  tribe,  who  command  the  junction  of  the 
Rembo  Ngouyai,  and  the  Rembo  Okanda.  The  tribes  on  this 
bank  of  the  river  are  named,  commencing  above,  the  Njavi,  Evili, 
Ngaloi,  and  Anenga.  I  have  seen  (on  my  trip  up  the  Ogobay)  a 
few  of  the  last  two  tribes,  who  speak  the  language  of  the  Mpongwe. 


510 


EXPLORATIONS  EASTWARD. 


I  was  assured  that  the  Rembo  Okanda  was  much  larger  than 
the  Rembo  Ngouyai,  and  I  know  that  its  shores  must  be  populous, 
for  from  there  are  brought  a  great  many  of  the  slaves  which  sup- 
ply the  Cape  Lopez  market.  Remandji,  who  had  been  over  the 
ground,  informed  me  that  the  Rembo  Okanda  was  five  or  six 
days'  journey  off,  to  the  north  or  north  westfand  that  the  inter- 
vening country  was  very  mountainous.  He  named  the  following 
tribes  as  inhabiting  this  fine  river:  the  Meouandji,  the  Mosheho. 
the  Madouma,  the  Njavi,  the  Npovi,  and  the  Moshobo. 

Next  to  the  Apingi,  up  the  river,  are  the  Aponon.  They  are 
said  to  speak  the  Ashira  dialect,  inhabit  immense  prairies,  which 
are  covered  with  high,  thick  grass,  and  are  a  warlike  people. 
They  showed  me  some  horns  from  this  district  which  belonged  to 
an  animal  unknown  to  me. 

The  river,  according  to  them,  continued  to  flow  in  a  southerly 
direction. 

Next  to  the  Aponon  lived  the  Ashango;  but  on  the  right 
bank,  while  the  Aponon  inhabit  the  left.  The  Ashango  prairies 
were  three  long  days'  journey  away,  to  the  south  and  east.  The 
people  catch  and  tame  wild  goats,  which  they  then  sell  to  the 
tribes  west  of  them. 

Beyond  these  lie  the  Njavi,  and  in  their  country  a  great  fall  or 
rapid  obstructs  the  river,  which  is  even  there  a  very  large  stream. 
Beyond  the  Njavi  is  an  unknown  land  even  to  the  Apingi,  who 
had  never  been  even  as  far  as  there,  but  from  which  they  hear 
through  their  slaves. 

On  the  28th  I  set  out  on  an  exploration  of  the  mountain  range, 
which  extends  almost  due  east  so  far  as  I  can  see  from  the  high- 
est point  near  Reman dji's  village,  and  from  the  river  as  far  as  I 
ascended.  The  chief  accompanied  me.  He  would  not  go  far. 
but  I  determined  to  follow  this  range  as  far  as  I  could.  The 
problem  I  wished  to  solve  was  whether  it  continued  its  easterly 
direction,  and  to  what  probable  distance. 

On  the  first  day  we  made  twenty-five  miles  due  east.  We 
stopped  for  the  night  in  an  Apingi  village.  We  were  received 
with  shouts  of  welcome.  Most  of  the  people  had  already  seen 
me  on  my  first  arrival  in  Remandji's  village.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  set  out  again,  and,  traveling  eastward  about  twenty  miles, 
reached  at  nightfall  an  Isogo  village,  the  chief  of  which  was  one 
of  Remandji's  numerous  fathers-in-law. 


THE  ISOGO. 


511 


The  men  armed  and  stood  on  the  defensive,  and  the  women 
screamed  and  ran  away  when  they  saw  me  coming.  If  Remand- 
ji  had  not  been  with  me,  I  suspect  I  should  have  had  difficulty  in 
explaining  my  wishes  before  I  was  transfixed  with  spears.  When 
Remandji  explained  that  I  was  a  mighty  spirit,  but  to  them 
quite  harmless,  they  were  satisfied,  and  furnished  us  supper  and  a 
sleeping-place. 

These  people  speak  the  same  dialect  as  the  Apingi,  but  are  by 
the  latter  considered  an  inferior  people.  Why  I  could  not  tell, 
for  their  houses,  dresses,  and  customs  are  quite  alike. 

We  were  now  in  the  midst  of  the  hills  which  constitute  the 
range  I  have  spoken  of.  The  Isogo  inhabit  the  higher  plains, 
and  have  many  villages.  They  told  me  that  the  mountains  ex- 
tend in  an  easterly  direction  as  far  as  they  had  gone,  which  was 
several  days'  journey. 

To  this  point  Reman dji's  son  accompanied  me.  We  traveled 
eastward,  and  at  the  last  of  the  Isogo  villages  the  chief  took  leave 
of  me.  A  party  of  Isogo  and  Apingi  agreed  to  accompany  me 
as  far  as  the  Ashango  villages,  which  they  said  lay  in  the  mount- 
ains, about  three  days'  journey  off. 

The  air  is  tolerably  pure  and  cool  on  these  high  mountains ; 
my  spirits  were  high ;  I  was  now  going  straight  east,  and,  though 
I  had  not  goods  enough  along  to  pass  me  very  far,  yet  my  de- 
pot at  Remandji's  village  was  sufficiently  supplied  to  pay  all 
I  might  owe.  My  hopes  were  bright  that  I  might  now  penetrate 
at  least  400  miles  direct  east,  and  settle  the  questioned  exten- 
sion of  this  hitherto  unknown  mountain  range  so  far  across  the 
continent. 

We  started  on  the  29th.  The  way  was  somewhat  rocky,  and 
the  forest  dense.  Roads  there  were  not,  and  my  companions  did 
not  even  know  the  country.  We  traveled  by  compass,  avoiding 
the  eminences,  and  keeping,  the  greatest  part  of  the  time,  the 
rocky  rivulets  for  our  paths.  Of  course  such  paths  were  terrible 
for  my  shoes.  The  first  day  I  wore  out  a  pair  of  shoes,  the  heels 
giving  way.  Fortunately,  I  had  provided  a  spare  pair,  and  I  was 
able  to  go  on  the  next  day.  On  the  first  night,  as  we  slept 
around  our  fire,  we  were  awakened  by  the  scream  of  a  leopard, 
which  did  not,  however,  come  within  shot,  nor  did  we  venture 
after  it,  as  man  has  no  fair  chance  with  this  animal  by  night. 
When  the  leopard  ceased  his  cries  came  up  a  terrible  tornado, 


512 


LONELY  GKANDEUR  OF  THE  FOREST. 


which  broke  down  trees  and  branches  all  around  us,  and  this  was 
followed  by  a  heavy  rain-storm,  with  strong  lightning,  which 
lasted  till  five'  o'clock  A.M. 

The  next  morning,  donning  my  fresh  pair  of  shoes  and  making 
a  frugal  breakfast  of  plantains,  we  set  out  again.  The  majestic 
forest  through  which  we  traveled  seemed  to  be  quite  devoid  of 
life,  except  indeed  insect  life.  Once  in  a  while  I  ran  against  the 
web  of  the  great  yellow  spider,  and  occasionally  we  heard  the  cry 
of  some  little  birds.  But  no  larger  animals  had  left  their  traces 
in  our  sight.  My  gun  seemed  a  useless  encumbrance.  Not  even 
a  monkey  showed  himself. 

The  gloom  of  the  woods  was  something  quite  appalling  to  the 
spirits.  It  seemed  a  fit  place  for  the  haunt  of  some  sylvan  mon- 
ster, delighting  in  silence  and  the  shades  of  night.  I  was  on  the 
look-out  for  gorillas ;  but  the  natives  did  not  seem  to  expect  to 
iind  even  many  of  these  here,  though  they  knew  the  animal. 

These  lifeless  forests,  so  different  from  the  teeming  woods  of 
Southern  Africa,  fill  the  traveler  with  awe.  Dependent  in  a 
good  degree  upon  his  rifle  for  his  living,  the  miserable  explorer 
finds  himself  here  in  momentary  danger  of  starvation.  For  of 
the  cumbrous  provision  of  the  negroes  it  is  quite  impossible  to 
carry  an  adequate  supply.  With  starvation  staring  us  in  the  face, 
we  pushed  on  energetically,  and  by  the  evening  of  the  second 
day  had  made,  by  my  reckoning,  about  sixty-five  miles  from  the 
last  Isogo  village,  in  a  crooked  direction,  or  a  little  more  than  a 
hundred  from  Remandji's  town. 

The  next  day  (Dec.  31st)  we  hoped  to  reach  the  Ashango  coun- 
try, where  we  could  rest.  We  had  not  yet  shot  any  thing  but 
two  little  birds,  which  I  had  for  supper  this  day.  My  men  had 
still  a  little  plantain  left. 

The  next  day,  the  first  of  1859,  and,  alas !  the  last  of  my  east- 
ward tour,  we  set  out  early,  determined  to  reach  help  before 
night,  for  our  provisions  were  no  longer  sufficient  to  encumber 
us.  The  ground  had  been  getting  rougher  all  the  day  before ; 
our  paths  were  the  course  of  streams ;  and  now,  about  two  in  the 
afternoon,  occurred  what  I  had  been  dreading.  My  last  pair  of 
shoes  gave  out  completely.  They  were  torn,  both  upper  and  sole, 
and  at  every  step  my  bleeding  feet  were  more  and  more  torn,  till 
at  last  the  agony  grew  too  great,  and  I  could  not  set  a  step  for- 
ward without  almost  an  accompanying  scream.    There  was  yet 


STARVATION  AND  SUFFERING. 


513 


no  sign  of  an  inhabited  country.  Far  as  we  could  see  below  us 
and  ahead — and  this  was  not  far — we  saw  only  dense  forests. 

The  pain  obliged  me  to  lie  down  near  a  brook  where  I  had 
stopped  to  bathe  my  wounded  feet.  We  built  a  fire,  and,  keep- 
ing my  gun  in  readiness  for  any  passing  game,  I  sent  my  men 
ahead  to  see  if  they  could  spy  out  a  village.  Evidently  the  vague 
report  of  a  three  days'  journey  was  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  The 
men  were  themselves  ignorant  of  localities,  and  only  kept  up  their 
spirits  because  I  showed  no  signs  of  alarm. 

They  returned  after  an  hour,  reporting  nothing  in  sight.  Then 
we  made  our  camp  for  the  night.  I  tied  up  my  shoes  as  well  as 
I  could  for  to-morrow's  journey ;  we  ate  the  last  of  our  plantains ; 
I  took  a  swallow  of  brandy,  and  we  went  to  sleep. 

Thus  ended  New  Year's  day,  1859.  Next  morning  my  poor  feet 
were  more  swollen  than  ever.  They  would  not  fit  into  the  torn 
shoes  at  all.  How  to  progress  I  did  not  know.  To  advance  was 
plainly  impossible  without  provisions.  The  men  gathered  a  few 
wild  berries  and  nuts,  on  which  we  made  a  kind  of  breakfast,  and 
then  I  took  out  from  a  little  sack;  in  which  it  had  long  been  laid 
away,  an  American  flag,  which  I  had  meant  to  plant  upon  my  far- 
thest point.  I  did  not  think,  when  months  ago  I  sewed  it  snugly 
in  its  cover,  that  I  should  feel  so  bitterly  disappointed  at  having 
to  use  it. 

Keeping  one  man  with  me,  I  sent  the  rest  to  ascend  a  little 
peak  which  rose  not  far  on  my  right.  Even  from  its  top  the 
view  could  not  but  be  confined,  on  account  of  the  thick  forest. 
I  gave  them  my  gun  to  shoot  any  thing  alive  they  might  see  to 
make  the  pot  boil ;  commanded  them  to  hang  the  bright  little 
flag  from  the  top  of  the  highest  tree  they  could  climb,  and  then 
to  report  to  me  what  they  saw  beyond  this,  our  farthest  point. 

The  good  fellows  were  gone  two  hours.  They  came  back  with 
a  small  monkey  and  a  serpent  nearly  twelve  feet  long,  of  the  boa 
species.  The  monkey  they  gave  me.  The  snake  made  them  a 
meal,  and  something  over. 

Then,  finding  it  impossible  to  advance  farther,  I  sent  two  men 
to  climb  the  highest  tree  in  sight,  and  fasten  the  American  flag  at 
its  top.  When  it  floated  out  on  the  breeze,  I  made  my  men  give 
three  cheers  for  the  star-spangled  banner,  and  divided  the  remains 
of  my  brandy  among  them. 

Having  eaten  our  dinner,  and  breakfast,  and  supper  all  in  one. 

K  K 


514 


WE  TURN  BACK. 


I  drank  a  glass  of  wine  to  the  health  of  friends  at  home,  then 
carefully  bandaged  ray  feet  with  the  sleeves  of  my  shirt,  forced 
them  gently  into  the  ragged  shoes,  and  we  set  out  on  our  way 
back.  It  was  a  sorry  day  for  me.  I  longed  more  than  I  can  tell 
to  advance.  It  seemed  too  great  a  disappointment  to  stand  as 
I  did  just  here — to  have  within  my  grasp,  almost,  the  solution 
of  a  curious  and  important  geographical  problem,  and  to  have 
to  leave  it  unsolved. 

Of  the  journey  back  I  have  but  a  dim  and  feverish  recollec- 
tion. I  remember  that  my  feet  got  worse  instead  of  better ;  that 
when  the  wretched  shoes  were  beyond  even  tying  together  with 
vines  I  cast  them  away,  and  bandaged  the  feet  .with  what  remain- 
ed of  my  shirt.  That  on  the  second  and  third  day  of  our  journey 
we  had  not  even  a  little  bird  to  eat,  but  plunged  forward  in  a 
stupid  apathy  of  hunger  and  pain.  That  on  the  fourth  morning 
one  of  the  men  espied  a  gorilla,  who  came  roaring  toward  us. 
beating  his  vast  chest,  and  waddling  up  to  the  attack  with  such 
horrid  utterances  and  soul-freezing  aspect,  eyes  glaring,  and  the 
monstrous  face  distorted  with  impotent  rage,  that  for  once,  wak- 
ing out  of  my  dreamy  stupor,  and  seeing  this  image  of  the  devil 
coming  upon  us,  I  would  have  run  if  my  feet  had  borne  me.  1 
remember  that  when  my  gun-carrier  shot  the  huge  beast,  tin- 
men rushed  upon  it,  and  tore  rather  than  cut  it  up,  to  stifle  with 
its  loathed  flesh  the  hunger  which  was  gnawing  at  their  vitals. 

Then  we  went  on,  relieved  for  a  time  from  starvation,  I  drag- 
ging my  bleeding,  bare,  and  swollen  feet  over  the  rough  and 
thorny  ground,  till  at  last,  at  noon  of  the  fifth  day,  we  came  to  the 
Isogo  towns. 

Here  I  lay  but  half  conscious  for  three  days.  The  people 
brought  me  food;  the  kind  women  bathed  and  oiled  my  feet. 
Women  are  ever  kind  and  ready  to  help  the  helpless,  even  in 
brutalized  Africa. 

And  now,  in  this  long  sickness  I  began  to  wish  for  home.  I 
longed  to  get  back  to  the  sea.  Each  day  I  became  less  patien: 
with  my  inactive  condition,  more  eager  for  a  sight  of  the  ocean. 

"When  I  could  walk  once  more,  though  not  without  pain,  I  re- 
turned to  Eemandji's,  packed  up  my  few  goods  and  journals,  and 
set  out  on  the  way  back.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  wa? 
home-sick — really  and  thoroughly  home-sick. 

When  I  told  Eemandji  that  I  must  return,  he  called  Minsho 


FAREWELL  TO  REMANDJI. 


515 


and  said,  "  The  spirit  must  go  back.  We  are  sorry ;  but  as  it  is 
his  will,  we  must  submit.  Wait,  however,  that  we  may  get  him 
food,  that  he  may  not  be  hungry  on  the  way."  Thereupon  the 
people  brought  me  fowls,  plantains,  and  manioc.  The  kendo  I 
was  requested  to  keep,  "that  when  you  come  back  you  may  be 
our  master." 

Eemandgi  also  gave  me  two  beautiful  grass  caps  done  in  fine 
crochet-work,  and  which  have  excited  the  admiration  of  many 
ladies  in  this  country  for  the  neatness  of  their  work. 

I  gave  the  old  chief  my  knife  and  fork,  and  afterward,  at  his 
own  special  request,  covered  the  walls  of  his  hut  inside  with  some 
New  York  papers  which  I  had  received  on  my  way  to  the  Ashi- 
ra,  and  whose  columns  had  helped  to  while  away  my  inactive 
days  here  in  the  far  interior.  He  was  very  proud  of  this,  and 
promised  to  preserve  them  till  the  next  white  spirit  came  to  see 
him,  to  whom  it  will  doubtless  be  a  curious  spectacle.  He  said, 
"  When,  in  after  years,  I  tell  the  people  from  far  away  that  a 
white  spirit  came  to  see  me  and  was  my  friend,  they  will  say, 
'  You  lie.'  Then  I  will  show  them  these  things  which  you  have 
left  me.    Then  they  will  believe." 

I  was  presented  with  a  large  anvil  of  iron,  used  by  the  Apingi 
in  their  blacksmithing  operations;  but  it  was  too  heavy  to  carry 
off ;  and,  moreover,  as  iron  is  the  gold  of  these  people,  it  would 
have  been  cruel  to  rob  them.  They  work  iron  very  neatly,  but 
not  to  so  great  an  extent  as  the  Fan,  who  are  the  best  blacksmiths 
I  saw  in  Africa.  They  make  knives  similar  to  the  Ashira's,  and 
axes  such  as  are  displayed  in  the  engraving  below,  and  orna- 


apisgi  tools. — 1.  Axe  :  2.  Mpano. 


516 


A  FRIGHTFUL  DISEASE. 


merit  them  very  nicely.  But  their  specialty  is  the  weaving  of 
cloth. 

We  set  out  finally  on  the  16th  of  January,  being  ferried  across 
the  river  in  the  little  boats.  As  we  were  traveling  through  the 
bush  on  our  way  to  the  Ashira  plains,  I  suddenly  started  a  flock 
of  monkeys.  One  of  my  young  men,  Ishoungi  by  name,  was  with 
ine.  When  I  had  shot  my  monkey  and  returned  from  picking 
him  up,  I  saw  the  strangest  change  that  surely  ever  took  place  in 
a  man.  Ishoungi,  who  was  as  black  as  a  crow  when  I  left  him, 
bad,  in  less  than  a  minute,  become  covered  all  over  with  blotches, 
which  gave  him  a  ghastly  spotted  appearance,  frightful  and  sick- 
ening to  the  view.  It  was  a  complete  and  most  singular  meta- 
morphosis. The  swellings  extended  under  my  own  observation, 
and  in  less  than  five  minutes  scarce  a  spot  on  his  whole  body 
was  left  in  its  pure  black  state.  Even  his  face  was  covered.  His 
lips  were  disfigured ;  his  nose  put  out  of  shape ;  his  eyes  closed. 

This  singular  disease  is  known  to  the  Ashira  by  the  name  of 
fitita.  The  swellings  are  large,  but  of  different  sizes  and  shapes, 
and  look  much  as  though  the  subject  had  been  badly  scalded. 
The  skin  is  raised,  and  a  thin  matter  collects  beneath  it.  An 
intolerable  itching  pain  follows,  which  makes  the  poor  suffer- 
er scream  with  agony.  I  dropped  my  monkey  and  led  poor 
Ishoungi  to  a  little  brook  not  far  off,  where  I  sprinkled  him 
with  water,  which  seemed  somewhat  to  ease  his  pain.  Present- 
ly one  of  the  Ashira  men  came  along,  and,  seeing  his  condition, 
took  out  some  yellow  bark  of  a  tree  unknown  to  me,  from  a 
pouch  he  carried.  This  he  made  fine,  then  chewed  it  with  wa- 
ter in  his  mouth.  When  he  had  chewed  it  a  little  he  spat  the 
juice  on  the  other's  body,  and  Ishoungi  rubbed  and  spread  it 
gently.  Wherever  it  touched,  the  swelling  went  down.  In  little 
more  than  twenty  minutes — certainly  in  less  than  half  an  hour — 
the  swellings  were  gone,  leaving  scarce  any  mark  upon  his  bod}\ 

This  was  the  first  severe  case  I  had  met  in  Africa,  though  my 
boatmen  on  the  Eembo  had  sometimes  to  suffer  from  slight  at- 
tacks. I  will  not  attempt  to  account  for  this  singular  phenome- 
non farther  than  to  say  that  my  observation  led  me  to  charge  it 
to  great  overheating  and  sudden  cooling  of  the  blood.  It  is 
known  to  the  Camma  and  Bakalai,  but  they  do  not  suffer  from  it 
much.    They,  too,  call  it  etita. 

It  was  the  rainy  season  still,  and  the  forest  was  in  many  places 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  DARK. 


517 


muddy.  We  passed  the  first  night  (16— 17tla)  at  a  Bakalai  vil- 
lage, where  I  received  a  present  of  a  deer.  In  the  night  the  roof 
of  my  hut  was  swept  off  by  a  tornado,  and  I  stood  in  the  street  a 
couple  of  hours  for  fear  of  being  buried  in  the  ruins  of  the  village. 

It  rained  in  torrents  the  whole  night  and  the  greater  part  of 
the  next  day,  and  when  we  came  to  the  banks  of  the  Louvandji 
we  found,  instead  of  the  pleasant  and  easily -fordable  stream  it 
had  been  on  our  outward  passage,  a  fierce  torrent,  utterly  impass- 
able. We  had,  therefore,  to  remain  there  all  night,  and  it  was 
not  till  late  next  afternoon  that  we  managed  to  cross.  The  flies 
and  bees  were  here  so  bad  that  I  was  fairly  driven  from  the  camp 
into  the  woods.  They  were  attracted  in  vast  swarms  by  our  ripe 
plantains. 

When  we  came  to  cross  the  Louvandji  the  next  day  the  stream 
was  yet  very  full,  the  current  extremely  rapid,  and  the  river  almost 
unfordable.  The  water  was  up  to  my  neck,  and  we  had  to  support 
ourselves  with  long  poles,  which,  being  firmly  set  in  the  bottom  be- 
low us,  bore  us  up  against  the  impetuous  torrent.  Happily,  though 
I  lost  my  footing  once,  being  the  shortest  man  of  the  party,  I  man- 
aged to  get  safely  across.  That  night  it  came  on  to  rain  before  we 
reached  our  camping-ground.  The  consequence  was  that  we  were 
unable  to  light  a  fire — the  first  time  I  have  ever  known  this  occur 
on  my  travels.  It  was  a  stupid  blunder,  which  caused  us  to  spend 
the  night  in  a  most  uncomfortable  manner,  I  seated,  gun  in  hand, 
on  my  chest,  and  the  negroes  firing  guns  and  shouting  all  night  to 
keep  off  the  leopards,  several  of  which  we  heard  about  us.  It  was 
the  most  uncomfortable  night  I  ever  spent.  My  feet  were  by  no 
means  tough; and  pained  me;  and  it  was  not  easy  to  sit  still, 
awake,  in  the  pouring  rain,  and  await  the  yell  and  spring  of  some 
leopard,  who  could  probably  see  us  quite  well  in  the  darkness. 

At  last  day  dawned,  and  we  pushed  on.  After  crossing  the  frail 
Ovigui  bridge,  we  reached  the  plains  without  farther  mishap.  My 
home-sickness — a  strange  longing  which  I  never  experienced  be- 
fore—still made  me  miserable.  I  was  impatient  to  push  on,  but 
was  so  weak,  what  with  fever  attacks,  occasioned  by  hardships  and 
by  my  sore  feet,  that  I  had  perforce  to  lie  still. 

On  the  22d  I  finally  managed  to  get  off.  Olenda  and  his  peo- 
ple gave  me  plenty  of  presents,  arms,  a  loom,  fetiches,  an  idol,  and 
provisions  to  last  me  to  Obindji's  town.  Makondai  was  glad  to 
return,  and  I  longed  constantly  for  the  sea. 


518  ATTACKED  BY  ANTS. 

Many  of  the  little  valleys  situated  in  the  hollow  of  the  hills 
were  now  much  overflowed.  On  our  first  day  out  I  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  step  into  a  bashikouay  army,  and  was,  as  usual  on  such 
occasions,  badly  bitten,  as  were  several  of  my  men.  These  were 
different  from  the  bashikouay  met  nearer  the  sea-shore.  They 
were  larger,  stronger,  slower  in  their  movements,  and  had  not  the 
very  peculiar  dashing  mode  of  attack  which  characterizes  the 
bashikouay  figured  and  described  before.  Their  bite  was  more 
severe ;  they  literally  took  pieces  of  flesh  out  of  my  legs,  and 
made  me  bleed  very  freely,  but  their  attack  was  much  less  fierce. 
Nothing  can  stand  the  onset  of  the  smaller  bashikouay  ant,  nor 
is  it  possible  to  drive  them  off  except  by  killing  them.  These 
larger  ants  are  not  tree-climbers,  the  natives  told  me. 

On  the  24th  we  at  last  reached 
the  banks  of  the  little  Ofoubou 
again,  and  the  next  day  we  floated 
down  to  Obindji's  town,  where  we 
were  welcomed  with  great  shouts 
of  joy,  gun-firinsr,  music  and  danc- 

MKA-OTBH^  OK  TUB  DAK-      fog.  ^  ^  ^ 

rican  uses  to  express  his  delight. 

As  we  crossed  the  range  of  hills  which  divide  the  Ashira  plains 
from  the  Bakalai  country  to  the  westward,  I  found,  to  my  sur- 
prise, that  on  the  western  side  of  this  water-shed  it  was  now  the 
dry  season.  All  the  little  brooks  were  dried  up ;  the  ground  was 
quite  dried;  and  when  we  reached  the  Ofoubou  and  Ovenga, 
these  streams  were  quite  low.  This  was  the  nkoumouna,  the 
short  middle  dry  season,  which  had  set  in  here  a  month  before, 
while  in  the  Apingi  and  Ashira  region,  and  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  these  hills,  the  rainy  season  was  in  full  force. 

I  spent  a  night  with  Obindji,  then  took  canoes  and  was  pulled 
down  to  Goumbi,  where  I  found  my  old  friend  Quengueza  absent, 
to  my  great  disappointment.  After  two  days'  rest  I  passed  down 
stream  again,  and  on  the  10th  of  February  was  hailed  by  my  old 
keeper  Einkimongami,  and  by  his  chief  Eanpano.  They  had  al- 
most given  up  the  hope  of  seeing  me  again,  but  had  kept  my 
live-stock  and  goods  safely.  They  were  very  proud  when  I  ex- 
pressed my  pleasure,  and  the  town  had  a  general  jollification,  to 
which  I  contributed  unlimited  tobacco  from  the  interior. 

Then  for  the  sea-shore  to  look  out  for  a  ship.    The  fever  be- 


WELCOME  IN  BIAGANO. 


519 


gan  to  creep  on  me.  Quinine  I  had  taken  to  the  amount  of 
fourteen  ounces,  till  now  it  had  almost  ceased  to  affect  me,  ex- 
cept by  taking  great  quantities.  Fowler's  solution  of  arsenic 
seemed  also  powerless.  I  had  grown  to  be  an  unhappy  Mithri- 
dates — poison-proof.  Daily  I  seemed  to  get  weaker,  and  daily 
I  longed  more  to  feel  the  fresh  sea-breeze  which  should  bear  me 
to  America. 

Four  long  months  were  yet  to  elapse,  however,  before  at  last 
my  vessel  came  in  sight.  In  this  dull  time  of  packing,  writing, 
and  illness,  many  weary  hours  were  relieved  by  watching  the 
singular  actions  of  a  very  curious  bird,  the  Sycobius  nigerrimus, 
which  had,  in  immense  numbers,  colonized  a  little  grove  of  trees 
near  my  house  during  my  last  absence.  The  habits  of  these  lit- 
tle twitterers  are  most  remarkable,  and  I  never  wearied  of  watch- 
ing their  varioiis  and  very  skillful  and  intelligent  manoeuvres  in 
nest-building  and  gathering  food. 

There  are  two  species,  but  both  live  in  the  same  trees,  and  in- 
discriminately among  each  other,  though  not,  of  course,  in  the 
same  nests.  The  male  of  one  species  is  entirely  black,  and  the 
female  a  dark  gray,  while  in  the  other  the  male  is  yellow,  with 
black  and  yellow  throat.  The  eggs  of  the  first-mentioned  are 
bluish,  with  black  spots,  while  those  of  the  last  are  light  pink, 
with  dark  spots. 

They  are  extremely  sociable  birds,  and  not  only  establish  them- 
selves in  vast  colonies,  but  prefer  always  to  live  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a  village,  and,  at  any  rate,  not  far  from  where  the  palm 
and  the  plantain  abound.  They  seem  fond  of  the  society  of  man, 
something  as  our  own  swallows  are. 

They  are  singularly  industrious  birds.  "When  they  have  set- 
tled upon  a  tree  on  which  to  plant  a  colony,  they  labor  from  day- 
light till  dark,  day  after  day,  with  the  utmost  joy,  and  fun,  and 
perseverance  at  their  very  singular  pendent  nests,  which  I  will 
now  proceed  to  describe.  The  nest  is  in  shape  round,  or  nearly 
so,  with  a  narrow  passage  for  entrance  and  exit,  leading  down  one 
side  and  opening  beneath.  It  is  securely  fastened  to  an  out- 
stretched twig,  probably  for  safety  from  monkeys  and  serpents; 
and  I  have  counted  on  one  tree  near  my  house  over  two  thousand 
of  such  pendent  little  balls,  each  inhabited  by  a  family  of  the 
birds. 

The  birds,  when  building,  strip  the  tough  outside  fibre  of  the 


520 


SINGULAR  COLONY  OF  BIEDS. 


palm  or  plantain  leaf,  and  split  this  into  very  narrow  strips  not 
more  than  two  or  three  lines  wide,  but  the  whole  length  of  the 
leaf.  Male  and  female  both  work  at  gathering  this  material ; 
when  a  sufficient  number  of  strips  are  brought  to  begin  a  nest, 
and  the  pendent  twig  is  fixed  upon,  the  birds  begin  to  turn  these 
leaf-strips  over  the  twig,  and  to  interlace  them  below  in  a  manner 
which  enables  the  finished  nest  to  shed  rain.  The  birds  work 
with  the  greatest  assiduity  with  both  beak  and  feet ;  and  often  I 
would  see  one  little  fellow  one  minute  holding  by  his  feet  and 
working  the  fibres  in  with  his  bill,  the  next  suspended  by  the 
bill  and  pushing  all  together  with  his  feet,  and  then  adroitly  slip- 
ping inside,  and,  by  pushing  and  working  with  his  body,  giving 
the  nest  a  round  shape.  The  entrance  is  the  last  made,  and 
doubtless  instinct  teaches  them  to  turn  its  mouth  down,  to  enable 
it,  too,  to  shed  rain. 

Sometimes  trees  on  which  these  industrious  little  fellows  build 
are  quite  killed  by  the  weight  of  so  many  nests,  and  by  the  space 
they  occupy  preventing  the  regular  growth  of  the  branches.  The 
nests  are  used  not  only  to  breed  in,  but  also  to  live  in,  and  each 
pair  breeds  several  times  a  year,  raising  two  young  at  a  brood. 
Of  course,  with  such  rapid  increase  they  are  always  needing  new 
nests,  so  that  the  building  process  is  going  on  almost  all  the  time. 
It  is  remarkable  that  among  so  many  nests,  all  looking  to  my 
eyes  exactly  alike,  each  bird  was  always  able  to  find  his  own. 
But  I  must  own  that  sometimes  I  noticed  a  strong  fellow  trying 
with  might  and  main  to  oust  one  of  his  weaker  brethren  from  his 
home,  though  generally  with  little  success.  They  have  a  fore- 
knowledge of  the  rainy  season  evidently,  for  just  before  this  sets 
in  they  are  peculiarly  active  in  building  and  repairing,  and  at 
such  times  the  village  near  which  they  have  settled  is  alive  with 
their  merry  twittering  and  active  bustle. 

In  watching  these  little  neighbors  of  mine  I  spent  many  a  day 
which  would  have  been  unutterably  weary  but  for  them.  At 
last,  on  the  1st  of  June,  I  was  so  happy  as  to  spy  a  sail.  Mj 
heart  beat  anxiously  lest  she  should  pass.  But,  to  my  great  joy. 
the  little  brig  stood  right  in  shore.  By  night  I  knew  that  un- 
friends in  the  Gaboon  had  sent  to  inquire  for  news  of  me.  They 
had  given  me  up  for  lost.  The  captain  had  orders  to  ascertain 
how  I  came  to  my  death.  I  was  glad  to  be  able  to  assure  him 
that  I  was  not  dead  yet. 
« 


RETURN  HOME. 


521 


And  now  came  the  weary  work  of  taking  in  my  cargo  of 
beasts  and  other  things ;  the  tedious  delays  which  yet  kept  me, 
poor  fever-stricken  wretch,  to  the  shore.  At  last  we  were  off, 
and  with  a  thankful  heart  I  welcomed  the  cool  breeze  which 
bore  me  back  to  civilization,  to  friends,  and  to  renewed  health. 

And  here  I  part  from  the  reader,  who,  I  trust,  has  not  yawned 
over  my  troubles,  nor  grown  weary  over  the  story  of  my  adven- 
tures and  explorations. 


WICKER-WORK  RATTLE  TO  DRIVE  TUE  DEVIL  OCT. 


APPENDIX. 


THE  FAUNA  OF  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA. 

For  the  use  of  naturalists,  I  give  here  a  list  of  the  animals  collected  by  me  dur- 
ing the  explorations  described  in  the  body  of  the  book.  New  species  I  have,  for  con- 
venience of  reference,  put  by  themselves.  For  detailed  description  of  the  new  ani- 
mals the  scientific  reader  is  referred  to  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of 
Natural  History  for  1860. 

MAMMALIANS. 

SPECIES  DISCOVERED  BY  P.  B.  DU  CHAILLU. 


Troglodytes  calvus. 

"  Koolo-kamba. 
Tragelaphus  albo-virgatus. 
Potamochcerus  albifrons. 
Genetta  Fieldiana. 
Anonialurus  Beldeni. 


Cercopithecus  nigripes. 
Otolicnus  apicalis. 
Cynogale  velox. 
Sciurus  Nordhoffi. 

"  eborivorus. 

"  Wilsoni. 


Sciurus  subalbidus. 

"  rubripes. 

"  minutus. 
Manatus  Oweni. 
Aspidonectes  aspilus 

(TTOTLE). 


T.  Gorilla. 

T.  Niger  (Chimpanzee). 
Elephas  Africanus. 
Hippopotamus. 
Bos  brachicheros. 
Tregalaphus  silvicultrix. 
"        (species  not 

termined). 
Leopardus  varius. 
Gazella  (four  species, 

determined). 
Crocodilus  vulgaris. 
Canis  aureus. 


Kinixys  erosa. 


KNOWN  SPECIES. 

Genetta  Aubryana. 

"  poensis. 
Hyaena  striata. 
Hystrix  cristiita. 
Colobus  Satanus. 
Presbytes  albigena. 
de-  Cercopithecus  melanogenys 
"  cephus. 
"         (species  not 
not  determined). 

Mangabet  a  colier  (Cerco- 
pithecus). 
Cyuocephalus  Mormon. 

TURTLES. 

Sternotha:rus  Derbianus. 


Otolicnus  Pelii. 

Sciurus  (three  species,  not 
determined). 

Sorex  odoratus. 

Vespertilio  minutus. 

"       (two  other  spe- 
cies, not  determined). 

Anomalurus  Fraseri. 

Lutra  (species  not  determ- 
ined). 

Pangolin. 


Tryonix  Aubryii. 


SERPENTS  AND  OTHER  REPTILES. 


Python  bivittatus. 
Thrasops  flavigularis  or  Bu 

cephalus  capcnsis. 
Chlorophis  heterodcrmus. 
Borodon  quadrivirgatum. 
Toxicodiyas  Blandingii. 
Echidna  nasicomis. 
A  species  of  naja. 
Brachycranion  corpulentum 

(snake). 
Coluber  Philipsi. 


Dryophis  Kirtlandi. 
Dipsas  orToxicodryasBlan- 

dingii. 
Leptophis  smaragdinus. 
Dendro])his  flavigularis. 
Sphenorhina  elegans. 
Gerrhosaurus  Bibronii. 

"  nigro  lineatus. 
Euprepes  striata. 

"  Blandingii. 

"  albilabris. 


Bufo  maculatus. 
Dactylethra  Miilleri. 
Hyla  puntata. 
Rana  Bibronii. 

"    albolabris  (discovered 

by  me). 
Heteroglossa  Africana. 
Chamaleo  dilepsis. 
"  granulosus. 


524 


APPENDIX. 


BIRDS. 


SPECIES  DISCOVERED  BY  I".  B.  DC  CHAILLC. 


Rarbatula  Du  ChailluL 

"  fuliginosa. 
Diceum  Rushia.'. 
JSgithaliu  flavifrons. 
Camaroptcra  tincta. 
Sylvia  Prasina. 
Butalis  infuscatus. 
Muscicapa  epulata  (Butalis 

epvlatus). 
Erythrocercus  M'Callii. 
Drymoica  Bairdii. 
Oriniger  xanthogaster. 
Pyrrhurus  leucopleurus. 
Melignothcs  conirostris. 

"  exilis. 
Alethe  castanea. 
Tricophorus  calurus. 
"  leucurus. 


Tricophorus  notatus  (Xeno- 

cichla). 
Phasidus  niger. 
Numida  plumifera. 
Tockus  camurus. 
Francolinus  squamatus. 
Andropadus  virens. 
Butalis  comitatus. 
Sycobius  Rachellige. 

"  scutatus. 
Meropiscus  Mullen. 
Atticora  nitens. 
Heta:rodes  insignis. 
Ispidina  Lecontii. 
Eopsaltria  cinerea,  or  Hy- 

podes  cinerea. 
Meropogon  Breweri. 
Eupriuodes  scbistaceus. 


Camaroptcra  caniceps. 
Sylvietta  \irens. 
Parmoptila  Woodhousei. 
Macrosphenus  flavicans. 
Geocichla  compsonota. 
Tricophorus  chloronotus. 
"        tricolor  (Xeno 
cichla). 
Andropadus  eurvirostris. 
Muscipcta  speciosa. 

"       du  Chaillui. 
Trochocercus  nitens. 
Parisoma  nielanurum. 

"  olivescens. 
Turdirostris  fulvescens. 
Hyphantornis  cinctus. 
Columba  iriditorques. 
"  unicincta. 


SrECIES  ALREADY  DESCRIBED. 


Gypohierax  Angolensis. 
Tephrodornis  ocreatus. 
Polyboroides  radiatus. 

"  typicus. 
Accipiter  Tousseneli. 

"  Hartlaubii. 
Halirctus  vocifer. 

"  blagrus. 
Spiznetus  coronatus. 

"  occipitalis. 
Spilornis  bacha. 
Miscratur  macrourus. 
Aviceda  cuculoides. 
Scotopelia  Pelii. 
Chaunonotus  Sabinei. 
Ixos  Ashanteus. 
Ixonotus  guttatus. 
Nectarinia  superba. 

"  Johannae. 

"  fuliginosa. 

"  nectarina. 

"  angolensis. 

"  chloropygia. 

"  subcollaris. 

"  tephrolama. 
Anthreptcs  aurantia. 

"  Frazeri. 
Nectarinia  cyanolrcma. 

"  Reichenbachii. 

"  cuprea. 

' '  obscura. 

"  cyanocephala. 

"  Strangerii. 

"  verticallis. 
Merops  bicolor. 
"  Breweri. 


Merops  Bullockioides. 
"  albicollis. 
"  variegatus. 
Meropiscus  gularis. 
Alcedo  leucogastra. 
Halcyon  badia. 

"  Senegalensis. 
"  dryas. 
Alcedo  quadribrachys. 
Corythornis  cairuleoccphala. 
Ceryle  rudis. 
Motacilla  Capensis. 
Telophonns  lcucorhynchus 
Laniarus  cruentis. 
"  Pelii. 
"  chloris. 
Dryoscopiis  major. 
Campephaga  nigra. 
Lobotos  Temminckii. 
Ceblepyris  or  graucalus  az- 

urea. 
Dicrurus  caracinus. 

"  atripennis. 
Sigmodus  rufiventris. 
Anthus  Gouldii. 
Corvus  eurvirostris. 
Zanclostomus  flavirostris. 
Chaunonotus  Sabinei. 
Cossypha  poensis. 

"  verticalis. 
Pratincola  salax. 
Cicropus  Gordoni. 
Musicapa  grisola. 
Cypselus  ambrosiacus. 
Atticora  Melbina. 
ChaJtura  Sabinei. 


Hirundo  eabirica. 

"  nigrita. 
Cecropis  Gordoni  (Ilirundo, . 
Pyrcnestcs  coccineus. 
Platystira  melanoptera 

(muscicapa). 
Platystira  lencopygialis. 
Zanclostomus  aureus. 
Lanius  Smithii. 
Tricophorus  simplex. 
"  palescens. 
"  fossi. 
Macronix  flaviventris. 
Andropadus  latirostris. 

' '  gracilirostris. 
Sycobius  nitens. 

cristatus. 
nigerrimus. 
malimbus. 
scutatus. 
Oriolus  nigripennis. 

"  Baruffi  (intermedi- 
ns). 

Caprimulgtts  binotarus. 
Camaroptera  suj)erciliaris. 

"  badiceps. 
Euprinodes  mfogularis. 

"  olivaceus. 
Artomigias  fuliginosa. 
Dryosocopus  aflinis. 
Lamprocolius  splcndidis. 

"  purpureiceps. 
Muscipeta  flaviventris. 
"  Smithii. 
"    *  melanogastra. 
"  melampvra. 


APPENDIX. 


525 


Bias  musicus. 
Campephaga  nigra. 
Estrelda  rubriventris. 
•'  atricapilla. 

melpoda. 
-i  rubriventris. 
Passer  Swainsonii. 
Corythaix  meriani. 

(species  not  de- 
termined). 
Turacus  giganteus. 
Tockus  fasciatus. 
Tutor  erythrophrys. 
Buceros  albocristatus. 
atratus. 
cylindrieus. 
fistulator. 
poensis. 
Apalodcrma  narina. 
Treron  calva. 

nudirostris. 
Peristera  chalcospilos  (Co- 

lumba). 
Peristera  puella. 

"  tympanistria. 
"  afra. 
"  Malherbi. 
Squatarola  helvetica. 
Charadrius  zonatus. 
Hiaticula  pecuaria. 
Haqiiprion  olivaceus. 
Totanus  hypoleucus. 
Calidris  arenaria. 
Sterna  Senegalensis. 
Podica  Senegalensis. 
Numeuius  phasopus. 
Strepsilas  interpras. 
Fraseria  ocreata. 

"  cinerascens. 
Platystira  mclanoptera. 

' 1  leucopygialis. 
Pratincola  salax. 
Macronix  flaviventris. 
Stiphornis^erythrothorax. 
Sylvietta  microura. 
Cisticola  cursitans. 
Spcrmestes  cucullata. 

"  poensis. 
Ortygospiza  atricollis. 


Fringillaria  tahapisi. 
Foudia  erythrops. 
Hypbantornis  flavigula. 

"         Grayi  (female 
of  flavigula). 
Hypbantornis  textor. 
Hyphanturgus  personatus. 
Coliostruthus  niacrourus. 
Centropus  monaehus. 
Dendrobates  Caroli. 
Pogonias  hirsutus. 
Oxyloplms  Jacobinus. 
Francolinus  I.athami. 
Bubo  leucostictus. 
Syrnium  Woodfordii. 
Eurystomus  afer. 

"  gularis. 
Drymoica  ruficeps. 
"  narvia. 
"  fortirostris. 
"  lateralis. 
Hylia  prasina  (Styphrornis 

superciliaris). 
Phyllopneuste  umbrovirens. 
Cisticola  cursitans. 
Turdus  Pelios. 
Xenocichla  syndactila. 
Pyrrburus  pallescens. 
Hyliota  violacea. 
Dryoscopus  affinis. 

"        major  (Telopho- 
nus  major). 
Nigrita  canicapila. 
l;  luteifrons. 

fusconota. 
"  bicolor. 
Vidua  principalis. 
Speimospiza  guttata. 
Psittacus  pachyrhynchus. 
Barbatula  subsulfurea. 

"      scolopacea  (Xylo- 
bucco). 
Gymnobucco  calvns. 
Trachyphonus  purpuratus. 
Dendropicus  Gabonensis. 

"  nigriguttatus. 
Dendromus  Caroli. 

'  •  brachyrhynchus, 
"  nivosus. 


Dendromus  Africanus. 

"      (several  species, 
not  yet  determined). 
Indicator  maculatus. 
Centropus  Francisci. 

"  monaehus. 
Cuculus  Gabonensis. 
Chrysococcyx  smaragdin 
eus. 

Synoicus  Adansonii. 
CEdicnemus  Senegalensis. 
Glareola  cinerea. 
Lobivanellus  albiceps. 
^Egialites  marginatus. 

"  pecuarius. 
Ardea  goliath. 
Egretta  flavirostris. 

"  bulbucus. 
Butorides  atricapilla. 
Ciconia  leucocephala. 
Mycteria  Senegalensis. 
Leptotilos  crumenifera. 
Scopus  umbretta. 
Tantalus  ibis. 
Geronticus  hagedash. 

"  olivaceus. 
Ibis  religiosa. 
Numenina  phosophus. 
Actitis  hypoleucus. 
Parra  Africa  na. 
Rallus  oculeus. 
Himantornis  hasmatopus. 
Phorphyrio  Alleni. 
Limnocorax  flavirostris. 
Phcenicopterus  erythrseus. 
Nettapus  Madagascariensis. 
Dendrocygna  viduata. 
Querquedula  Hartlaubii 

(Annas  cyanoptera). 
Podica  Senegalensis. 
Sterna  Caspia. 
"  cantiaca. 
"  Senegalensis. 
Rhynchops  orientalis. 
Plotus  Levaillantii. 
Sula  Capensis. 
Carbo  Africanus. 
Nycticorax  Europasus. 


526 


APPENDIX. 


B. 

TIIE  LANGUAGES  OF  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA. 

As  we  gain  greater  knowledge  of  the  languages  and  dialects  of  the  nations  ami 
tribes  of  Central  Africa,  the  conviction  gains  ground  among  philologists  that  the 
people  of  this  great  continent  belong  to  two  distinct  families.  The  line  of  separation 
I  believe  to  be  found  one  or  two  degrees  north  of  the  equator.  To  the  south  of  this 
line,  all  the  people  now  known  speak  in  dialects  which,  though  sufficiently  distinct, 
belong  evidently  to  one  common  family,  having  a  common  origin.  This  is  true  of 
all,  so  far  as  known,  from  the  northern  line  I  have  denoted  down  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  except  the  Hottentots,  the  Namaquas,  and  a  few  other  insignificant 
tribes  near  the  last-mentioned  place,  who  are  not  supposed  to  belong  to  either  branch 
of  the  African  family. 

This  class  of  languages  and  dialects  may  be  distinguished  by  the  title  alliterative. 
The  changes  which  the  words  undergo  in  their  declensions  and  conjugations  always 
affect  both  the  initial  and  final  syllables,  and  whole  sentences  occur  having  a  com- 
plete alliteration  throughout. 

The  tribes  of  the  northern-  half  of  the  continent,  so  far  as  their  languages  are 
known  to  me  by  study  or  by  personal  observation  (the  latter  confined  to  the  western 
coast,  through  Gambia  and  Senegambia  to  the  borders  of  the  Desert),  use  dialects 
less  regular  in  their  structure,  less  melodious  in  sound,  and  by  far  more  difficult  for 
the  tongue  and  ear  of  the  white  man. 

Within  the  region  which  I  explored,  the  language  of  the  Mpongwe  is  the  most 
widely  spread.  It  is  used,  with  slight  variations  and  modifications,  by  no  less  than 
seven  of  the  most  considerable  tribes,  the  Mpongwe,  Commi  (Camma),  Oroungou, 
Ogobay,  Rembo,  Ngaloi,  Ayomba,  and  Anenga.  Some  other  dialects,  also,  are 
evidently  derived  from  this,  while  another  large  class  has  marks  of  decided  kinship 
to  the  Bakalai  language.  This  last  is  spoken,  either  purely,  or  in  dialects  varying 
but  slightly,  by  the  Bakalai,  Mbenga,  Kombe,  Baponkou,  Balengue,  Mbousha, 
Mbondemo,  Mbisho,  Mbiki,  Shekiani,  Apingi,  Evili,  and  probably  many  more  tribe< 
of  the  interior. 

The  language  of  the  cannibal  tribe,  the  Fans,  stands  alone,  being  evidently  not 
related  to  any  of  the  others.  It  is  rude  and  very  guttural,  and  bears  some  likeness 
to  that  spoken  in  the  interior  of  Cape  Palmas  and  on  the  Croo  coast. 

The  Mpongwe  and  Bakalai,  and  their  kindred  dialects,  are  to  a  remarkable  degree 
regular  and  systematic  in  their  structure.  I  found  it  very  extraordinary  that  lan- 
guages used  only  by  savages,  and  having  no  written  standard,  should  retain  their 
precision  and  system,  as  these  have  done.  Scarce  any  languages  known  are  so  sys- 
tematic as  these.  They  are  rich  in  words  expressive  of  the  ideas  of  these  barbarous 
people,  and  they  arc  capable  of  very  great  expansion  for  new  wants.  From  radicals 
already  in  use  new  words  can  be  regularly  derived  when  needed,  and  are  at  once- 
understood. 

The  Bakalai  and  its  branches  have  no  letter  r.  The  Mpongwe  and  the  Ashira. 
on  the  contrary,  abound  in  this  letter,  which  is  rolled  or  accented  very  strongly. 
The  Mpongwe  strikes  me  as  one  of  the  finest  of  all  the  known  languages  of  Africa. 
It  is  remarkable  that  all  the  tribes  which  use  it  are  much  less  warlike  than  thos< 
which  use  the  Bakalai,  many  of  which  are  fierce  and  troublesome. 

The  tribes  inhabiting  the  west  coast  south  of  Cape  St.  Catherine  speak  dialect? 


APPENDIX. 


527 


some  of  which  show  more  affinity  with  the  language  of  the  Mpongwe,  others  with 
that  of  the  Bakalai ;  but  all  show,  in  the  formation  of  many  of  their  words,  a  third 
element,  proving  that  some  of  these  words  have  been  derived  from  another  language 
with  which  the  two  former  have  not  been  acquainted. 

The  Mpongwe  language  is  to  a  very  great  extent  polysyllabic.  There  are  scarce 
a  score  of  monosyllabic  nouns  in  the  whole  language,  and  not  more  than  three  or 
four  monosyllabic  verbs.  It  abounds  in  contractions  and  compounded  words,  in 
which,  however,  the  parts  are  preserved  sufficiently  well  to  be  very  easily  distin- 
guished. There  are  but  few  words  difficult  of  utterance  to  Americans  or  Europeans, 
and  the  pronunciation  is  very  distinct,  each  syllable  being  fully  sounded,  making  ii 
easy  of  acquisition  to  strangers.  Almost  all  the  words  terminate  in  a  vowel,  which 
is  fully  sounded,  and  a  great  part  of  the  nouns  and  verbs  also  begin  with  a  vowel. 
The  genders  of  nouns  are  not  distinguished  otherwise  than  by  prefixing  the  term 
man  or  woman.  For  instance,  wanna  means  child  ;  wanto-wanna  is  girl ;  and  olomc- 
icanna  is  boy.  There  are  several  ways  of  forming  the  plural.  Nouns  which  begin 
with  a  consonant  are  made  plural  by  prefixing  i  to  the  singular  forms ;  thus,  nago. 
house  ;  inago,  houses.  Nouns  beginning  with  o  form  their  plurals  by  changing  o  into 
i ;  thus,  omemba,  snake ;  imemba,  snakes.  Nouns  beginning  with  e  form  their  plurals 
by  dropping  the  e  ;  thus,  egara,  chest ;  gara,  chests.  Nouns  beginning  with  i  form 
their  plurals  by  changing  i  to  a;  thus,  idambc,  a  sheep;  adambc,  sheep.  All  the 
changes  in  the  Mpongwe  nouns,  except  such  as  result  from  contractions,  are  on  the 
first  syllable.  The  noun  of  agency  is  in  nearly  all  cases  formed  by  prefixing  the 
letter  o  to  the  verb ;  thus,  noka  is  to  lie,  and  onoka  is  a  liar. 

Personal  pronouns  abound  in  the  Mpongwe,  and  also  in  the  Bakalai  and  other 
dialects  of  this  region.  Thus,  in  Mpongwe,  mie  is  I  and  me ;  you,  awe ;  ye,  he ; 
age,  she  or  it;  Pers,\ve;  azw'c,  us;  anuwe,  ye;  nuwe,  you;  wao,  they;  ica,  them. 

The  adjectives  have  many  changes  besides  their  degrees  of  comparison.  They  do 
not,  however,  possess  any  inflections  to  indicate  gender  or  case.  In  the  following 
examples  we  find  no  less  than  seven  forms  of  the  adjective  mpolo,  which  means  large ; 


These  and  like  changes  are  used  with  the  utmost  precision,  arbitrary  as  they  arc. 
and  though  they  have  of  course  no  grammatical  rules  nor  any  written  standard. 

We  come  now  to  speak  of  the  verb,  which  has,  in  all  the  languages  of  the  south- 
ern half  of  Africa,  the  most  peculiar  forms.  The  Mpongwe  verb  has  four  moods, 
the  indicative,  imperative,  conditional,  and  subjunctive.  The  indicative  mood  i- 
formed  with  the  aid  of  auxiliary  particles.  The  imperative  is  derived  from  the  pres- 
ent of  the  indicative  by  the  change  of  its  initial  consonant  into  its  reciprocal  conso- 
nant; thus,  tonda,  to  love,  rondo,  love  thou;  denda,  to  do,  lenda,  do  thou. 

The  conditional  mood  has  a  form  of  its  own,  but  the  conjunctive  particles  arc 
used  as  auxiliaries  at  the  same  time,  and  different  conjunctive  particles  are  used  with 
different  tenses.  The  subjunctive  has  only  one  form,  and  is  used  as  the  second  verb 
in  a  sentence  where  there  are  two  verbs. 

The  tenses  in  the  Mpongwe  are  the  present,  past,  perfect  past,  and  future.  The 
perfect  past  tense,  which  represents  the  completeness  of  an  action,  is  formed  from  the 
present  tense  by  prefixing  a  and  by  changing  the  final  into  i ;  thus,  tunda,  to  love, 
atondi,  loved  or  did  love. 


Nyarc  mpolo,  a  large  cow. 
Inyare.  impolo,  large  cows. 
Egara  cvolu,  a  large  chest. 
Gara  volu,  large  chests. 


Idamle  ivolu,  a  large  sheep. 
Adambe  ampolo,  large  sheep. 


Omemba  ompolo,  a  large  snake. 
Imemba  impolo,  large  snakes. 


528 


APPENDIX. 


The  past  is  derived  from  the  imperative  by  prefixing  a  and  by  changing  a  final 
into  i ;  thus,  ronda,  love  thou,  arondi,  to  have  loved. 

The  future  tense  is  formed  by  the  aid  of  the  auxiliary  participle  be ;  as,  mi  be  tonda, 
I  am  going  to  love.  But  this  combination  of  words,  if  the  nominative  follows,  ex- 
presses past  time. 

In  the  future  tense  the  nominative  goes  before  the  verb  in  the  order  of  construc- 
tion. When  an  action  is  immediately  to  take  place,  the  present  tense  is  used  as  a 
future ;  as  nri  bia,  I  am  coming  immediately ;  while  mi  be  bia  means  I  am  coming 
after  a  while,  or  at  some  indefinite  time. 

The  passive  is  formed  from  the  active  simply  by  changing  a  final  into  o:  thus,  mi 
tonda,  I  love  ;  mi  tondo,  I  am  loved.  In  the  historical  and  perfect  tense,  which  term- 
inates in  i,  o  is  simply  adjoined :  thus,  arondi,  have  loved ;  arondio,  to  have  been  loved. 

There  is  also  in  every  Mpongwe  verb  a  negative  for  every  affirmative  form,  and  the 
negative  is  distinguished  from  the  affirmative  by  an  accent  or  dwelling  on  the  first  or 
principal  vowel  of  the  verb,  which  I  will  characterize  in  writing  by  the  use  of  an  ital- 
ic letter.  The  negative  form  belongs  to  the  passive  as  well  as  to  the  active  voice, 
and  this  slight  difference  of  intonation  or  accentuation  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  for 
a  foreigner  to  catch : 

Mi  tonda,  I  love.  Mi  tondo,  I  am  loved. 

Mi  tonda,  I  do  not  love.  Mi  tondo,  I  am  not  loved. 

All  the  verbs  in  the  Mpongwe  language,  with  the  exception  of  about  fifteen  or 
twenty,  may  be  regarded  as  regular  verbs,  inasmuch  as  they  are  governed  by  the 
same  fixed  principle.  The  verbs  of  two  or  more  syllables  have  always  the  final  a  ; 
and  the  incipient  consonants  of  these  verbs  are  either  b,  d.f.j,  k,p,  s,  t,  or  sh.  Each 
if  these  has  a  reciprocal  consonant.  Such  verbs  as  commence  with  m  or  n,  which 
have  no  reciprocal  consonants,  retain  these  two  letters  throughout  all  their  inflections, 
but  in  other  respects  are  perfectly  regular.  The  invariable  reciprocal  letter  of  6  is  0 
or  ic.  So  the  imperative  is  derived  from  the  present  of  the  indicative  in  all  the 
verbs  which  commence  with  b,  by  changing  b  into  w  ox  v.  thus,  bonga,  I  take ; 
imp.  wonga,  take.  In  the  same  manner,  and  with  invariable  uniformity,  d  is  changed 
into  l,f'mto  v,  or  fwn  into  vw,j  into  y,  k  into  g,  />  into  r,  s  into  z,  sh  into  :y,  and  t 
into  ?•.  Thus, 

Mi  bonga,  I  take  ;  Mi  kamba,  I  speak : 

Wonga,  take.  Gamba,  speak. 

Every  regular  verb  in  the  language  may  be  said  to  possess  five  conjugations  and  as 
many  as  six  compound  conjugations.  Thus,  from  kamba,  to  speak,  or  I  speak,  the 
causation  is  formed  by  changing  a  into  i:a:  kambiza,  to  cause  to  speak.  The  form 
which  implies  habitual  action  is  derived  from  the  radical  by  prefixing  ga :  thus,  kam- 
ba, to  speak ;  kambaga,  to  speak  habitually.  The  relative  conjugation,  which  implies 
performing  an  action  for  or  to  some  one,  is  derived  from  the  radical  by  suffixing  na . 
thus,  from  kamba,  to  speak,  comes  kambana  or  katnbina,  to  speak  to  or  with  some  one. 
The  indefinite  is  derived  from  the  radical  by  suffixing  the  imperative  to  the  present  of 
the  indicative  :  thus,  from  kamba  comes  kambagatnba,  to  speak  at  random. 

In  the  Mbenga  language,  the  radical  kalaga,  speak,  is  changed  as  follows :  kalakate. 
to  continue  speaking ;  kalakia,  to  speak  to  or  speak  for ;  kalakide,  to  cause  to  speak  ; 
lalanakiani,  to  speak  for  one  another;  kalaka  bckatikali,  to  speak  at  random;  takala, 
to  speak  first  (in  a  trial)  ;  kalaka  bo  kalaka,  speak  and  do  nothing  else. 

The  radical  form  of  the  verb  expresses  the  simple  idea  without  any  accessory  01 
contingent  meaning.    The  second  expresses  continuance  of  the  action,  and  in  many 


APPENDIX. 


529 


verbs  intensity  of  the  simple  idea :  thus,  kalakate  mbi  yokakate,  speak  on ;  I  will 
hear. 

These  remarks  and  exemplifications  will  give  some  idea  of  the  beauty  and  philo- 
sophical structure  of  the  languages  of  this  region.  There  is  in  these  languages  a 
mine  which  will  richly  repay  working.  They  possess  an  extensive  unwritten  litera- 
ture, consisting  of  proverbs,  parables,  allegories,  mystic  interpretations,  fables,  and 
fantastic  and  fabulous  stories,  which  are  handed  down  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. Many  of  these  fables  I  have  listened  to  in  the  evening,  by  the  light  of  my 
camp-fire,  with  unbounded  delight,  wondering  at  the  imagination  of  the  barbarous 
African. 

I  regretted  only  that  want  of  time  and  my  other  pursuits  prevented  me  from  in- 
vestigating and  writing  down  many  of  their  wonderful  stories  and  fables. 

I  close  with  a  table  of  numerals,  which,  as  being  the  easiest  to  collect  for  com- 
parison, must  serve  as  a  beginning  for  the  philologist  who  desires  to  study  the  lan- 
guages of  this  region.  All  that  are  here  given  were  collected  by  myself.  All  but 
two  or  three  I  obtained  when  among  the  tribes  to  whom  each  list  is  credited.  The 
others  I  gained  by  a  visit  to  a  French  emigrant  ship  sailing  from  Cape  Lopez  with  a 
cargo  of  negroes.  To  show  what  great  facilities  the  student  can  have,  even  on  the 
coast,  for  studying  the  languages  of  the  far  interior  tribes,  I  may  mention  that  on 
board  this  very  ship  I  found  men  from  no  less  than  thirty -eight  different  tribes! 


SENEGAMI5IA  TRIBES. 


Kingdom  of  Sin. 

Yolof. 

Kingdom  of  Baol. 

Kospo. 

1  Len. 

Bien  or  Ben  quick 

.  Kiline. 

Ta,  ta. 

2  Be'tique. 

Niar. 

Foulo  or  foula. 

Fele. 

3  Be'tafoulaque. 

Niep  (quick). 

Sabo  or  saba. 

Tchaoua. 

4  Be'ta  founaque. 

Nie'let. 

Nani. 

Nani. 

.5  Be'ta  foutadaque.  Die'roum. 

Loulou. 

Dolou. 

6  Be'ta  fatique. 

Die'roum  ben. 

Ouro. 

Whita. 

7  Be'tasou. 

Dieroum  niet. 

Ouro  olo. 

Oua  fela. 

8  Betafou. 

Die'roum  niep. 

Li. 

Oiyapa. 

9  Be'tafouse._ 

Die'roum  nielet. 

Konontai. 

Takoii. 

10  Karbaki. 

Fouque. 

Ten. 

Fo. 

TRIBES  OF  TOE  PALM  COAST. 

Bioolobo. 

Vesey. 

Bonzd. 

(lola. 

1  No. 

Dondo. 

Tan. 

Ngoumou. 

2  1 1  an. 

Tela. 

Ve'le. 

Ntie'. 

3  Tan. 

Saquoy. 

Dabn. 

Ntai. 

4  Hain. 

Nani. 

Nani. 

Tina. 

5  1166. 

Soulou. 

Lolou. 

Nonon. 

6  Nodo. 

Soudondo. 

Maida. 

Dicgoum. 

7  Dicran. 

Soufela. 

Maifile. 

Die'ntie'. 

8  Diyien. 

Sousaquoy. 

Ma'ishaba. 

Dietai. 

9  Shondo. 

Kounani. 

Ma'inan. 

Dectina. 

10  Ipou. 

Tan. 

Bou. 

E'sia. 

Ll 

580 


APPENDIX. 


TRIBES  IN*  THE  BIGHT  OF  BENIN. 


Balepgue,  calle  1  also  Molen- 
guu  and  Ayengue. 

Onoko  or  Bau'i. 

Camerun  or  Dwala. 

Ibouni. 

1  Guevoho. 

M])0CO. 

E'oue. 

Evoko. 

2  Ibare. 

Ibali. 

Beba. 

Biba. 

3  Raro. 

Halo. 

Belalo. 

Belalo. 

4  Inai. 

Ina'i. 

Benei. 

Binai. 

5  Itanu. 

Irani. 

Betano. 

Betani. 

(i  Itano  na  guevoho. 

Otoba. 

Motoba. 

Otoba. 

7  Itano  na  ibare. 

Embouedi. 

Samba. 

Mbouedi. 

8  Itano  na  raro. 

Lombi. 

Liimbe. 

Louambi. 

!)  Itano  na  inai. 

Diboua. 

Iboua. 

Iboua. 

10  Ndioum  or  nai-hinai. 

Dioum. 

Dom. 

Ndioum. 

TRIBES  OF  THE  GABOON,  MCM,  AND  MOONDAII  RIVERS. 


Mponpwe,  spoken  by 
eight  tribes  before 
mentioned. 

Mbousha. 

Shekiani,  ppokt-n  al-o  by 
the  Mbondemo,  Itaimon, 
Mbiki,  and  Mbifho. 

Mbenga. 

1  Mori. 

Ivoco. 

Wo  te. 

Mpoco. 

2  Bani. 

Beba. 

Iba. 

Ibali. 

3  Ncharo. 

Belalo. 

Bitasbi. 

Ilala. 

4  Nai. 

Benai. 

Inei. 

Inai. 

r>  Tani. 

Betano. 

Itani. 

Itano. 

(>  Roua. 

Ivoco  beba. 

Itani  me'  wote. 

Otoba. 

7  Roaguenon. 

Ivoco  belalo. 

Itani  ne'  iba. 

Embouaidi. 

8  Ananai. 

Ivoco  benai. 

Itani  ne  itacbi. 

Loguambi. 

0  Inongouni. 

Ivoco  betano. 

Itani  ine'i. 

Ibouhi. 

10  Igoum. 

Dioum. 

Dioum. 

Dioum. 

TRIBES  ON  OR  NEAR  TIIE  OGOEAY  AND  ITS  TRIBUTARIES. 


Alombo. 
Imoshi. 
Ibai. 
Iraro. 
Ina. 

5  Irano. 

6  Isamoum. 

7  Disambouai. 

8  Denana. 
0  Ifou. 

10  DcTOumc. 


Ngobo  or  Mgobj  (Camma). 
Moshi. 
Bai. 
Raro. 
Ina. 

Dourano. 
Disambouai. 


Ashira.  Bukalai. 

Moshi.  Iewotau. 

Be'i.  Be"ba. 

Irero.  BilalL 

Irano  or  iina.  Benai. 

Saraano.  Bitani. 
Ine'gue,  irero  or  inana.  Na  iewotau. 


Dinanouai. 

Ipoi. 

Igoum. 


Knmbo  moshi. 
Kambo  be'i. 

Igoum. 


Bitani-nabiba. 
Bitani  nabilali. 
Bitani  na  benai. 
Dioum. 


Mpovi. 

Njavi. 

Apingi. 

Aviia. 

Ashango. 

1  Moue'ta. 

M6n. 

Mpoco. 

Moliai. 

Moshi. 

2  Bevali. 

Bioli. 

Mbani. 

Banie. 

Bibe'i. 

3  Betata. 

Betato. 

Tcharo. 

Nchado. 

Biraro. 

4  Benai. 

Be'na. 

Inai. 

Naio. 

Bina. 

5  Betani. 

Betani. 

Itani. 

Ntano. 

Shamano. 

G  Betani  moue'ta. 

Samouna. 

Moroba. 

Enapo. 

Nchambo. 

7  Betani  bevali. 

Nehamou. 

Forubo. 

8  Betani  betata. 

Mponbon. 

0  Betani  benai. 

Oua. 

10  Nchinia. 

Igoume. 

APPENDIX. 


Ashaki.  Moshebo.  Meouandji. 

1  Mori.  Mo.  Mo. 

2  Bani.  Yole.  Biole. 

3  Shata.  Moshato.  Tato. 

4  Nai.  Minai.  Na. 

5  Itani.  Tani.  Tani. 

6  Motoba. 
10  Dioum. 


Fan  Tribe  (Cannibals. 

1  Fo. 

2  Bei. 

3  La. 

4  Ne. 

5  Tani. 

G  Shcme. 

7  Zangoua. 

8  Moiim  or  Ouam. 

9  Iboum  or  Ibon. 
10  Woooo  or  Aboum. 


531 

Madouma 
Mpoco. 
Niole. 
Tato. 
Na. 
Tani. 

Dioum. 

Slave  from  River  Congo. 
Boisse. 
Guali. 
Tato. 
Minai. 
Tano. 
Samoum. 
Sabouani. 
Nana. 
Voua. 
Koumi. 


Moahe-ho. 
Poco. 
Yole. 
Nchalo. 
Benai. 


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